Help Trey's Law Get More Traction

Last year, I watched the indomitable energy of Elizabeth Carlock Phillips whirl through the state legislatures of Missouri and Texas to achieve the passage of an important bill in honor of her brother, Trey. Trey’s Law ends the misuse of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) against child sexual abuse and trafficking victims in civil lawsuit settlements—ensuring they will never be silenced again. Through her relentless and righteous campaigning, Elizabeth got these two bills passed in a year when legislative activity was often gridlocked.

The work that needs to be done to improve justice for sexual abuse survivors requires everyone to be involved. We here at the Safe to Speak Initiative are just one group—and a new one at that—so we want to point you to what others have already been doing, as well.

So, inspired by Elizabeth’s work, I approached a Virginia state senator I knew to become the chief patron of a bill in my state. We are working on it for introduction in the 2027 Virginia General Assembly.

In the meantime, the organization behind Trey’s Law, the No More Victims Alliance, is working to bring versions of this bill to Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia right now.

In Alabama: The bills HB93 and SB30 were voted out of their originating chambers with zero no votes and are now crossing chambers to be reconciled into a single final version before going to the governor. If you live in Alabama, please track these bills and call your state representatives to urge them to get this bill reconciled and passed. If you don’t live in Alabama, but you know people who do, send them this post and a link to the Trey’s Law site and ask them to get involved, too.

In Oklahoma: The bill HB447 was filed to not only address NDAs but also to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. If you live in Oklahoma, call your state representatives and ask them to support and vote for this bill. And same as above, if you know people who live in Oklahoma, send them this post and a link to the Trey’s Law site and ask them to get involved, too.

In Georgia: In his “State of the State” address recently, Governor Brian Kemp said his team will introduce a version of Trey’s Law in Georgia in the coming days. If you live in Georgia, keep an eye on your state legislature and be ready to make calls!

(The graphic on this post is from the Trey’s Law social media feed. Make sure to follow them on X, Instagram, or Facebook.)