U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) hosted a roundtable Wednesday on the Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements (TREY'S) Law, bringing together Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Katie Britt (R-AL), Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO), Elizabeth Phillips, and child sexual abuse and trafficking advocacy groups.
The discussion focused on the legislation's effort to restrict the use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) involving survivors of child sexual abuse and trafficking.
TREY's Law, introduced by Sens. Cruz and Gillibrand in March, would make NDA provisions unenforceable when they prohibit or restrict the disclosure of sexual abuse of a minor or related facts. The bill would apply to agreements signed before a dispute and those included in civil settlements.
The Senate passed TREY'S Law unanimously in May after the Senate Judiciary Committee also advanced it unanimously. The House companion is being led by Texas Reps. Brandon Gill (R) and Julie Johnson (D).
The legislation is named for Trey Carlock, a Dallas man who Cruz's office says was subjected to an NDA following civil litigation related to sexual abuse he experienced as a child. Carlock died by suicide at age 28.
During the roundtable, Cruz said, "No child who has endured sexual abuse should be forced to carry that horror in silence," and argued that NDAs should not be used to prevent survivors from speaking about their experiences.
Cruz said TREY's Law would preserve the confidentiality of settlement amounts while allowing victims to choose whether to keep their information private. He urged the House to advance companion legislation and send it to President Trump.
