“Trey’s Law” inspired bills authored by Alabama Sen. Matt Woods and Rep. David Faulkner have been passed by their originating chambers with zero “no” votes. The bills now will cross chambers.
Matt Woods
SB-30 and HB-93 are public safety bills that would prohibit the use of “any provision of an agreement that prohibits an individual or entity from disclosing certain acts of sexual abuse or facts related to certain acts of sexual abuse” regarding civil cases involving sexual abuse, assault and trafficking.
As drafted, the bills would apply to agreements entered, executed or amended on or after Oct. 1, 2026.
Sen. Woods, quoting Trey’s Law founder Elizabeth Phillips, said on the Senate floor: “The use of NDAs in settlement agreements is essentially lawful hush money. It’s institutional abuse on top of sexual abuse. NDAs are a legal mechanism that were created to protect trade secrets, not trauma secrets.”
The Alabama bills use broad language that prohibits any restrictive agreements barring survivors of sexual abuse from telling their stories. Similar legislation in some other states specifically protects against Non-Disclosure Agreements.
As in other states, this state’s versions have garnered bipartisan support. In Alabama, debates about the bills explored potential unintended consequences for institutions where abuse occurs as well as for survivors themselves.
David Faulkner
Republican Sen. Greg Albritton, for example, voted in favor of the bill but worried that eliminating NDAs could remove a “lifeline” for institutions that are “trying to do good,” such as churches or nonprofits. He explained, “They paid the price, and they paid the money. The non-disclosure allowed them to continue in operation in some ways.”
However, Democratic Sen. Vivian Figures said the public should not be concerned with the well-being of institutions in this context: “I think we need to be more concerned about our children than some entity or institutions. … More times than not, it’s been proven that these entities and institutions knew what was going on and didn’t do anything about it.”
This is what survivors of sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps say occurred when camp leadership allowed serial sex abuser Peter Newman to remain in positions of power over children for years after learning of his abusive behavior.
This is how Trey Carlock, the namesake of Trey’s Law, became an abuse victim.
He later was silenced by a restrictive NDA during a settlement process with the camp. Trey eventually died by suicide in 2019 after telling a therapist, “They will always control me, and I’ll never be free.”
BNG has reported extensively on Trey’s Law and the growing library of Kanakuk abuse stories that have come to light in recent years.
Prior to the Senate floor vote, Sen. Figures strongly affirmed the importance of the bill. “Part of the healing process is that child being able to tell that story, what happened to them. And just think of how many other people and children they can help by telling that story. So I thank you, you have my full support with this bill, and I thank you for bringing it.”
Other concerns about the bill included conversations about how the legislation could impact the legal process, especially during settlement agreements. In response, advocates of Trey’s Law have cited research on the California Stand Together Against Non-Disclosure (STAND) Act passed in 2018.
This research found positive outcomes to the legislation. Researchers say nullifying sexual abuse and harassment-related NDAs improved the psychological well-being of survivors, and there has been no indication that financial settlement amounts have reduced.
“Trey Carlock — we need to remember his name. We want to continue to give victims of sexual abuse a voice. Prohibiting these nondisclosure agreements is essential,” added Republican Rep. Susan DuBose on the House floor. “We need to end the silence, expose these abusers and protect children.”
More information and ongoing updates are available at TreysLaw.org.