Texas Passes Trey’s Law: A Major Victory for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

On June 21, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a groundbreaking piece of legislation known as Trey’s Law—a landmark victory in the movement to protect survivors of child sexual abuse from the silencing effects of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). When it comes into force on September 1, 2025, Texas will join a growing coalition of jurisdictions committed to ending the legal practice of silencing survivors through secrecy clauses that protect abusers and institutions rather than children and families.

But this law didn’t emerge overnight. It is the result of persistent advocacy, survivor-led courage, and bipartisan legislative action rooted in justice, transparency, and hope.

The Story Behind Trey’s Law

The bill is named in honour of Trey Carlock, who died by suicide in 2019 after suffering sexual abuse at the hands of a school official. In the aftermath of his death, his sister Elizabeth Carlock Phillips became a powerful advocate for change, determined that no other family should be forced into silence when what they need is justice. Elizabeth founded the Trey’s House Foundation and began working with lawmakers to challenge the role NDAs played in perpetuating cycles of abuse and concealment.

Trey’s story is not an outlier. For decades, institutions across the country—from schools and churches to youth organizations—have used NDAs to hide incidents of abuse and protect reputations rather than victims. In some cases, survivors were pressured into silence as part of civil settlements, legally barred from speaking about the harm they endured.

Elizabeth’s advocacy made one thing clear: NDAs should never be used to cover up child sexual abuse.

Legislative Champions

Enter Representative Jeff Leach, a Republican from Plano, who took up the cause in the Texas House of Representatives. On November 12, 2024, he filed the bill that would become Trey’s Law. With the support of a growing network of survivors, advocates, legal experts, and community leaders, the bill gained traction quickly.

In early 2025, the bill was refiled in the Senate by Senator Bryan Hughes and referred to the State Affairs Committee. After hearings, revisions, and unanimous votes in both chambers, the bill passed the Texas Senate on May 15, 2025, and was signed by Governor Abbott on June 21, 2025.

The law takes effect on September 1, 2025, and will prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements that silence survivors of child sexual abuse. Survivors will retain the legal right to speak about their experiences—even if they sign a civil settlement—bringing Texas in line with a growing global standard of survivor-centered legal reform.

What It Means for Texas

Trey’s Law sends a powerful message: the era of silencing survivors in Texas is over. Survivors will now have the protection of the law to share their truth without fear of retribution or breach of contract. This shift has real, tangible consequences:

• Empowerment for survivors to speak out, seek healing, and pursue accountability.

• Transparency for the public, who deserve to know when institutions fail to protect children.

• A deterrent for organizations tempted to conceal abuse rather than confront it.

  
  

Most importantly, it affirms that the rights of survivors matter more than the reputations of powerful institutions.

A Signal to Other States

Trey’s Law is part of a larger movement. In 2025 alone, Missouri and the United Kingdom passed similar legislation, and California, New Jersey, and Washington State had already enacted laws prohibiting NDAs in cases of sexual misconduct. But many jurisdictions still lag behind—especially when it comes to protecting children.

Other states should take note. The path forward is clear: follow Texas’s lead, center survivor voices, and recognize that NDAs have no place in cases of sexual violence—especially when the victims are children.

What’s Next

For organizations like The Restitution Project, the passage of Trey’s Law represents a major milestone. It proves that change is possible—and that persistent advocacy rooted in radical hope can transform legal systems. But there’s more work to do. Survivors across North America are still being silenced, and institutional barriers remain strong.

The next step is national: ensuring every state—and eventually every country—protects a survivor’s right to speak. If Texas can do it, others can too.

For more information, visit our legislative page online.