Oklahoma House passes Cindy Clemishire Act to void NDAs in child sex abuse cases

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Representatives in the Oklahoma House of Representatives have unanimously passed the Cindy Clemishire Act (also known as and Trey’s Law), which would make any non-disclosure agreements intended to exploit or conceal details of a child sexual abuse claim void and unenforceable.

The unanimous 80-0 vote on Oklahoma House Bill 4227 was held on March 17, according to official documents. It has now been referred to the Oklahoma Senate for consideration, and if signed into law, it would become effective on Nov. 1.

In addition to making NDA’s void in cases of child sexual abuse, HB 4227 removes the statute of limitations on sex crimes committed against children. It further mandates that the identity of child sex abuse victims be kept confidential and requires healthcare professionals to document and report suspected cases of sexual assault to law enforcement.

Earlier this month, Republican state Rep. Chris Kannady, who authored the bill, said legislators aim to hold perpetrators of child sex abuse accountable.

“Trey’s Law is about making sure justice is never silenced,” Kannady said in a statement. “For too long, NDAs have been used to shield predators and powerful institutions from accountability. This bill ensures that victims are not legally bound to secrecy while their abusers avoid the consequences of their crimes.”

The legislation was named after child-sex abuse survivors Cindy Clemishire and Trey Carlock.

Last October, Gateway Church founder, Robert Morris, was given a six-month prison term and a 10-year suspended sentence during a hearing in Osage County Court, Oklahoma, after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Clemishire, 55, over the span of 4.5 years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12. At the time, Morris, who founded Gateway Church in 2000, was serving as a traveling evangelist.

“My hope is that many victims hear my story and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up," Clemishire, who refused to sign an NDA with the church as she sought justice, said in a statement released to the press after Morris’ guilty plea. "I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children's and victims’ rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected."

Carlock died by suicide just before his 29th birthday in 2019 after signing an NDA to settle a child sex abuse claim against Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri.

His abuser, Pete Newman, was found guilty of molesting at least 57 victims while he was a counselor at Kanakuk Kamps. Newman was given two life sentences plus 30 years for abusing six boys at the Christian camp and was denied parole in Oct. 2024.

In April 2025, Texas passed a bill similar to HB 4227, also known as Trey’s Law, which is part of a nationwide push to hold perpetrators of child sexual abuse accountable. California, Missouri, and Tennessee have also passed comparable laws.

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce a federal version of Trey’s Law.

“No child who has endured sexual abuse should be forced to carry that horror in silence. Non-disclosure agreements are too often used to protect abusers, with incalculable and catastrophic consequences for their victims,” the Republican Texas senator said in a statement. “We owe it to Trey to ensure that victims have the right to speak about their experiences and that contracts are not used to silence survivors. I’m grateful to my colleagues for joining me in introducing this bipartisan bill, and I’m committed to seeing it advanced expeditiously.”