Soo Hong (HD-103) (R) sponsored House Bill 1187, known as Trey’s Law, which the Georgia House passed 174-0 in March before the Senate approved it unanimously in April. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the bill May 11 (Act 448), and the law took effect that day. Capitol Beat reported that Kemp said in his State of the State address in January that Trey’s Law is a priority of first lady Marty Kemp and the state’s GRACE Commission.
The law voids any provision of a nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement, or of an employment, settlement or other agreement, to the extent it bars a person from disclosing an act of childhood sexual abuse or related facts. Other terms, including the settlement amount, can still be kept confidential. The law applies to agreements entered into before, on or after its effective date [1].
The law is named for Trey Carlock, who was sexually abused as a boy at a camp in Missouri and settled a lawsuit under a nondisclosure agreement that prevented him from talking about it, Capitol Beat reported. His sister, Elizabeth Phillips, told House members at a February committee hearing: “There was never justice or true accountability. Nobody was fired or held accountable as a result of this abuse. He died by suicide in 2019 because he wasn’t allowed to have a voice.”
“This bill will free survivors to share their stories,” Hong said March 4, before the House vote.
California, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas had already passed versions of Trey’s Law, Capitol Beat reported in February.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
