Congress Introduces RAINN-Backed TREY’S Act to Free CSA Survivors From NDAs

Washington D.C., (Tuesday, March 3, 2026) – Today, Sponsors Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with consponsors Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Peter Welch (D-VT.), Eric Schmitt (R-MO.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the RAINN-backed Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements (TREY’S) Act.

The bill is named for Trey Carlock, a survivor of child sexual abuse who was silenced by a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and ultimately took his own life. TREY’S Act would void all NDAs in cases of child sexual abuse, allowing survivors’ voices and stories to be heard.

Of the bill, Sen. Cruz said, “No child who has endured sexual abuse should be forced to carry that horror in silence. Non-disclosure agreements are too often used to protect abusers, with incalculable and catastrophic consequences for their victims. We owe it to Trey to ensure that victims have the right to speak about their experiences and that contracts are not used to silence survivors. I’m grateful to my colleagues for joining me in introducing this bipartisan bill, and I’m committed to seeing it advanced expeditiously.”

“For too long, nondisclosure agreements have been used to silence survivors of child sexual abuse and shield perpetrators from accountability. TREY’S Law would void predatory nondisclosure agreements that prevent the victims of sexual abuse as minors from speaking about their experiences,” said Sen. Gillibrand, “Survivors deserve the right to tell their stories and hold abusers accountable. I am proud to lead this critical legislation and look forward to getting it across the finish line.”

Trey Carlock’s sister, Elizabeth Phillips, who has become a key advocate against NDAs in cases of child sexual abuse, said, “For decades, survivors of child sexual abuse have suffered in the shadows due to the misuse of NDAs in civil settlement agreements, terrified that sharing their story would lead to a lawsuit or other repercussions. TREY’S Law doesn’t just protect future victims; it restores the voices of those silenced by existing NDAs. This bill’s passage will say to every survivor currently living under a gag order: ‘Your voice is yours again. You are free to speak about what happened to you. And what you have to say matters.’”

As RAINN Vice President of Public Policy Stefan Turkheimer said, “Perpetrators try to silence child sexual abuse survivors. The justice system shouldn’t do the same thing.”