Georgia CommonsHB 1187: Trey's Law; enact
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
Georgia's HB 1187, known as Trey's Law, voids nondisclosure agreements that try to silence disclosures of childhood sexual abuse, affecting survivors, employers, and anyone who has signed a settlement or employment contract containing such clauses.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Currently, some settlement, employment, or other agreements in Georgia include nondisclosure or confidentiality clauses that can stop a person from talking about childhood sexual abuse they experienced or know about. This bill adds a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 9-11-63, declaring that any part of such an agreement is void and unenforceable if it tries to stop someone from disclosing an act of childhood sexual abuse or facts related to it. It does not touch other confidential terms of a settlement, such as the dollar amount or how payments are made, which parties can still agree to keep private. The change applies to agreements signed before, on, or after the law takes effect, meaning it can reach older contracts as well as new ones. No one can enforce a nondisclosure clause covering childhood sexual abuse unless a court issues a final, unappealable declaratory judgment saying the clause is enforceable. The law is named Trey's Law and takes effect immediately once the Governor signs it or it becomes law without a signature.
What the bill does
- Voids any provision in a nondisclosure, confidentiality, employment, or settlement agreement that stops a person from disclosing an act of childhood sexual abuse or related facts.
- Protects the confidentiality of other settlement terms, such as payment amounts, which parties may still agree to keep private.
- Applies retroactively, covering agreements entered into before, on, or after the law's effective date, not just new ones.
- Requires anyone who wants to enforce a nondisclosure clause covering childhood sexual abuse to first win a final, unappealable court declaratory judgment.
- Gives the new law the short title 'Trey's Law' and sets it to take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without signature.
Who it affects
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse who signed or may sign nondisclosure agreements, employers and institutions that use such agreements in settlements or employment contracts, attorneys handling abuse claims, and Georgia courts that would rule on enforceability disputes.
Why it matters
People who experienced childhood sexual abuse could speak about it publicly or to others even if they previously signed an agreement meant to silence them, unless a court specifically rules the silencing clause enforceable. Employers and institutions could no longer rely on nondisclosure clauses to prevent disclosure of such abuse.
Key provisions
- Section 1 gives the Act its short title, 'Trey's Law.'
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 9-11-63(a), voiding nondisclosure or confidentiality provisions that prohibit disclosure of childhood sexual abuse or related facts, while still allowing other settlement terms like payment amounts to remain confidential.
- Section 2 also adds subsection (b), applying the change to agreements made before, on, or after the law's effective date.
- Section 2 adds subsection (c), barring enforcement of such nondisclosure provisions unless a final, non-appealable declaratory judgment confirms the provision is enforceable.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as immediate upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without approval.
- Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Any provision of a nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement or nondisclosure or confidentiality provision of an employment agreement, settlement agreement, or any other agreement is void and unenforceable as against the public policy of this state to the extent the provision prohibits a person, including a party, from disclosing an act of childhood sexual abuse”
“A person, including a party, may not enforce or attempt to enforce an agreement or a provision of an agreement that prevents disclosure of an act of childhood sexual abuse or facts related to an act of childhood sexual abuse to any other person unless the person obtains a declaratory judgment that is final and not subject to appeal”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 448
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
Show full history (17 actions)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
- Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)
- Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)
- Will Wade (R, HD-009)
- Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
- Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
Votes
- House voteMarch 4, 2026
174 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)
- Senate voteApril 2, 2026
50 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 2 absent)
Topics
- childhood sexual abuse
- nondisclosure agreements
- settlement agreements
- survivor rights
- Georgia law