---
title: HB 1187. Trey's Law; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1187
cite_as: HB 1187, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1187
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1187.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1187/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72829
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1186.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1188.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1251
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1187.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1187
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
- Soo Hong
- Matthew Gambill
- Devan Seabaugh
- Will Wade
- Stan Gunter
- Katie Dempsey
- Kay Kirkpatrick
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1187/2025
upstream_id: 2108205
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- childhood sexual abuse
- nondisclosure agreements
- settlement agreements
- survivor rights
- Georgia law
---
# HB 1187. Trey's Law; enact
## Text
House Bill 1187 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Hong of the 103rd, Gambill of the 15th, Seabaugh of the 34th, Wade of
the 9th, Gunter of the 8th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 8 of Chapter 11 of Title 9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to provisional and final remedies and special proceedings, so as to prohibit as
contrary to the public policy of this state any contract or agreement that has the purpose or
effect of concealing the details relating to a claim of childhood sexual abuse; to provide for
the confidentiality of identifying information of victims of childhood sexual abuse; to
provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as "Trey's Law."
SECTION 2.
Article 8 of Chapter 11 of Title 9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
provisional and final remedies and special proceedings, is amended by revising Code
Section 9-11-63, which was reserved, as follows:
"9-11-63.
(a) 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, as defined by subsections (a) and (b) of Code Section 9-3-33.1, or facts
related to an act of childhood sexual abuse to any other person. Nothing in this Code
section may be construed to prohibit a person, including a party, from agreeing to keep
confidential any other provision of a settlement agreement, including the amount or
payment terms of a settlement.
(b) Subject to subsection (c) of this Code section, the change in law made by this Code
section applies to an agreement entered into before, on, or after the effective date of this
Code section.
(c) 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 and declares that the
agreement or provision is enforceable. Reserved."
SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
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.
### Plain-language summary
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. ยง 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 it 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.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Soo Hong, Matthew Gambill, Devan Seabaugh, Will Wade, Stan Gunter, Katie Dempsey, Kay Kirkpatrick
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72829
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,251 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1187.md?full=1