Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) , a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee , joined U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) , Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) , Katie Britt (R-Ala.) , and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) in leading the Senate’s passage of their bipartisan Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements (TREY’S Law). This bipartisan legislation would void non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that silence survivors of child sexual abuse. The bill now heads to the House for final passage before reaching the President’s desk. “Survivors of abuse deserve due process and the opportunity to share their stories in their own time. Banning NDAs meant to suppress the voices of abuse victims is a long-overdue step in ensuring survivors can seek accountability,” said Senator Welch . “I’m thankful for the support of the Senate on our bipartisan bill and urge my colleagues in the House to join us in this effort to support victims of sexual abuse and hold predators accountable for their crimes.” “Trey’s story is not the exception, but the pattern. Non-disclosure agreements are too often used to bury abuse and silence survivors, with incalculable and catastrophic consequences for victims. We will never know how many child victims were silenced by these contracts or how many lives were lost because the law enforced that silence. I am thankful to Senator Gillibrand for helping get TREY’S Law across the finish line in the Senate. I now urge my colleagues in the House to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law,” said Senator Cruz . “For too long, nondisclosure agreements have been used to silence survivors of child sexual abuse and shield perpetrators from accountability. Today, we are one step closer to correcting that injustice and allowing survivors to publicly tell their stories. I am grateful to Sen. Cruz for his partnership and leadership on TREY’S Law and am thrilled that it has now passed the Senate. I urge the House of Representatives to take up this bill and send it to the president’s desk as soon as possible,” said Senator Gillibrand . “I couldn’t be prouder to see the unanimous and expeditious Senate passage of TREY’s Law . This bipartisan piece of legislation has seen success in states across the nation and now is well on its way to be signed into federal law. I remain committed to continue working with Senator Ted Cruz to get this passed in the House of Representatives and then to President Trump’s desk. It’s an honor to help lead this legislation on behalf of Trey, Elizabeth, and the entire Carlock family,” said Senator Britt . “Childhood sexual abuse is a despicable crime, and no court-enforced nondisclosure agreement should ever force a victim into silence while their abuser escapes scrutiny. This legislation makes clear that nondisclosure agreements cannot override a victim’s right to petition their government and access a court to seek justice. Child abusers should not be able to silence victims with nondisclosure agreements,” said Senator Schmitt . TREY’S Law prevents the use of NDAs to silence survivors of child sexual abuse and trafficking. The bill makes any NDA provision unenforceable if it prohibits or restricts someone from disclosing the sexual abuse of a minor or facts related to that abuse. Importantly, this protection applies regardless of when the NDA was signed, whether before a dispute arose or as part of a civil settlement agreement. The bill is named in honor of Trey Carlock, a beloved citizen of Dallas, Texas, who was silenced by an NDA after enduring a retraumatizing civil litigation process against Kanakuk Ministries. He ultimately died by suicide at age 28. Joining Senators Welch, Cruz, Gillibrand, Britt, and Schmitt on this legislation are Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). “The unanimous passage of Trey’s Law by the United States Senate today marks a historic turning point in the fight to protect children and survivors’ rights. For too long, predators have relied on the cover of NDAs, using institutional secrecy to hide their crimes and bury trauma secrets. By making these clauses void and unenforceable as a matter of federal law, this bipartisan bill prioritizes victims’ voices and public safety over a perpetrator’s freedom or a liable institution’s reputation. Thank you to Senators Cruz and Gillibrand for introducing this legislation, and to our many co-sponsors for their steadfast leadership so that other child sexual abuse victims don’t have my little brother’s outcome. Today, we got one step closer to seeing truth set free nationwide,” said Elizabeth Phillips , Trey’s sister and the founder of No More Victims . Read and download the full text of the bill. ###