Last week, the Oklahoma legislation known as the “Cindy Clemishire Act” died after the state Senate adjourned early, without calling the bill to a floor vote. This came just one day after its unanimous passage out of the Senate Judiciary…
Oklahoma House passes ‘Cindy Clemishire Act’ and ‘Trey’s Law’
On March 17, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass House Bill 4227, a piece of sexual abuse legislation now being referred to as the “Cindy Clemishire Act.” Cindy Clemishire is an Oklahoma native who was sexually abused…
Survivors and advocates support Trey’s Law proposals in Missouri, Georgia and Kansas
This week, sexual abuse survivors and survivor-advocates testified in front of legislative panels in Georgia, Kansas and Missouri, supporting passage of state versions of Trey’s Law bills that impact sexual abuse cases. These and other applications of Trey’s Law are…
Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sexual abuse
In a plea agreement announced Oct. 2, Gateway Church founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. Morris was given a 10-year sentence, but with the negotiated plea deal will serve…
One year after Robert Morris’ confession, things are only worse
It has been one year since megachurch pastor Robert Morris admitted he had sexually abused a child decades earlier and resigned from Gateway Church in Dallas, but the scandal has only grown and now engulfs other leaders in controversies about…
Texas Senate committee unanimously approves ‘Trey’s Law’ after testimony
Yesterday, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously voted for SB-835, also known as “Trey’s Law,” adopting the preferred language of witnesses in favor of the bill. The hearing included two versions of “Trey’s Law” — the Senate version focused solely on…
Trey’s Law passes in Missouri Senate, moves forward in Texas
On April 29, “Trey’s Law” passed the Missouri Senate as an amendment to HB-737. The child protection bill, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Burger and authored by Rep. Melissa Schmidt, now awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature. Sponsored by Sen. Brad Hudson…
‘Trey’s Law’ makes its way through Missouri and Texas legislatures
Following a hearing in early March where Kanakuk abuse survivors, their families and other activists spoke in front of a Judiciary Committee at the Missouri House of Representatives about nondisclosure agreements, “Trey’s Law” continues to make its way through the…
Robert Morris indicted on child sex abuse charges in Oklahoma
Robert Morris, founder and former pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, and previous adviser to President Donald Trump, was indicted on five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child. The charges relate to alleged child sexual…
What’s happening to megachurch pastors in Dallas?
Megachurch pastors in Dallas are starting to drop like flies. On June 9, Tony Evans stepped away for an unspecified period of time from the 10,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, a church he started in his living room and led for…