The Texas House of Representatives voted unanimously Tuesday to approve and advance a bill that would prohibit non-disclosure agreements from being used to silence sexual abuse survivors.
House Bill 748, authored by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Allen, would bar non-disclosure agreements from being used to prevent a victim of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault or human trafficking from disclosing their abuse to others.
The bill advanced with a 149-0 vote Tuesday on the House floor. It needs to pass a third and final House vote before it can move to the Senate. It was not immediately clear when the chamber would take those subsequent votes.
Before legislators voted Tuesday, Leach shared the story of Trey Carlock . The bill has been named “Trey’s law” after Carlock.
“Trey Carlock was a talented, smart and handsome young man from Dallas who took his own life at the age of 28 after being groomed and sexually abused at Kanakuk summer camp for a decade,” Leach said.
Leach said Carlock pursued a civil lawsuit to seek damages for his alleged abuse and said the settlement of that lawsuit required Carlock to sign a non-disclosure agreement. “This tool was used by Trey’s abuser, and Kanakuk camps, as a tool to silence Trey and to shield their criminal acts, all in exchange for a settlement,” Leach said.
The Allen lawmaker also shared the story of Cindy Clemishire, who publicly alleged last summer that Gateway Church founder Robert Morris sexually abused her as a child.
“Robert Morris offered Cindy Clemishire $25,000 in exchange for her signing a non-disclosure agreement prohibiting her from ever being able to speak out about her abuse that allegedly took place over five years in the 1980s – not allegedly, that did take place over five years in the 1980s,” Leach said.
“We have here in Texas allowed for sanctioned blood money, for hush money, in these awful cases of abuse,” Leach said. “With the passage of Trey’s law, that practice comes to an end.”
Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News through a partnership with Report for America.
