Thank you for supporting Kanakuk survivors and understanding why NDAs have no place in civil cases related to child sexual abuse. Please consider taking the following action to support key legislation:
“Trey’s Law” (House Bill 748) passed the Texas House of Representatives UNANIMOUSLY (Floor remarks here) on April 8, 2025. Since then, it has been awaiting a hearing in the Texas Senate.
Please join us in urging Texas Senators and Senate Leadership to schedule a public hearing on “Trey’s Law” as an urgent matter of public safety. “Trey’s Law” (House Bill 737) passed the Senate in the Missouri legislature yesterday and now awaits Governor Kehoe’s signature there. Every voice counts in reaching those with decision power in Texas to gain renewed momentum.
What is “Trey’s Law”?
“Trey’s Law” seeks to prohibit the misuse of NDAs against child sexual abuse (“CSA”) and trafficking victims in civil settlement agreements.
NDAs (also known as non-disparagement or confidentiality clauses) can be part of a larger settlement agreement or a standalone contract wherein one or more parties agree that certain information will remain confidential.
While NDAs were created to keep proprietary business information, such as trade secrets or sensitive client information, confidential, they have since become weaponized as a standard practice in civil settlements related to CSA and trafficking, to silence victims and protect predators and liable institutions. As a result, bad actors are protected while survivors are forbidden to share their stories to various extents, depending on the language in a particular settlement agreement or contract. This was Trey Carlock’s story. He was silenced after a retraumatizing civil litigation process following the horrific abuse he endured for a decade at Kanakuk Kamps. Being silenced with an NDA was institutional abuse on top of sexual abuse.
“Trey’s Law” would render NDAs in civil CSA settlements “void and unenforceable,” allowing survivors to freely share their stories whenever and however they would like to do so. It’s time to give victims their voices back.
How can you help?
Survivors and advocates can help support “Trey’s Law” by calling or emailing the Lieutenant Governor’s office to respectfully request that HB 748 (“Trey’s Law”) be scheduled for an imminent Senate Committee hearing.
Contact Information
Phone: 512-463-0001
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick: dan.patrick@ltgov.texas.gov
Lt. Gov Chief of Staff: Darrell.davila@ltgov.texas.gov
Lt. Gov General Counsel: Lola.wilson@ltgov.texas.gov
or contact form here.
Sample Email
Dear [Insert Name]:
As a citizen of Texas,
As an advocate for children,
As a citizen concerned with public safety,
I am writing with the request that HB 748 (“Trey’s Law”) be scheduled for an imminent Senate Hearing as an urgent matter of public safety. This bill will prohibit the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (“NDAs”) in civil settlements for child sexual abuse and trafficking victims. Without this law, the state is sanctioning lawful hush money that silences survivors of childhood crimes and only protects bad actors. House Bill 748 passed the Texas House of Representatives UNANIMOUSLY (Floor remarks here) on April 8, 2025, and it seems momentum has stalled on the Senate side.
Survivors of child sexual abuse should be able to share their stories in support of personal healing and in the interest of truth reaching the public sphere. This bill is on the Governor’s desk in Missouri and should be a welcomed mechanism for exposing predators and protecting children in Texas, too. Tennessee passed similar legislation in 2018, and we hope victims’ voices will be heard in a Texas Senate Committee before it’s too late this session.
[Insert Why This Matters to You.]
Thank you for your consideration and reading of this message and for supporting the goal of making Texas safer for children and all citizens.
Sincerely,
[Name]