The Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed SB30 on Thursday, sending Trey’s Law to Governor Kay Ivey’s desk. The bill, which also passed the Senate unanimously, would ban nondisclosure agreements in civil cases involving sexual abuse.
Under the bill, any provision of a nondisclosure agreement, confidentiality agreement, employment agreement, settlement agreement, or any other type of agreement that prohibits an individual or entity from disclosing an act of sexual abuse or facts related to an act of sexual abuse would be void and unenforceable.
The law would apply to agreements entered into, executed, or amended on or after October 1, 2026.
The bill defines sexual abuse broadly, covering any conduct that would constitute a criminal violation under Alabama’s sexual offense statutes, regardless of whether the conduct has led to a criminal charge, conviction, or adjudication.
During Senate floor debate, bill sponsor State Sen. Matt Woods (R-Jasper) spoke to the purpose of the legislation.
“To quote Trey’s sister Elizabeth, ‘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,’” Woods said.
The bill is named for Trey Carlock, a Texas native with family roots in Alabama who was sexually abused as a youth at Kanakuk Ministries, a Christian sports camp in Missouri.
The camp leader responsible for the abuse, Pete Newman, was convicted and sentenced to multiple life sentences. Carlock pursued a civil case against the camp, but his settlement included a restrictive NDA barring him from speaking about the abuse. He died by suicide in 2019 at age 28.
Carlock’s sister, Elizabeth Carlock Phillips, founded the Trey’s Law movement to ban NDAs in sexual abuse settlements on a state-by-state basis.
Similar laws have passed unanimously in Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, and California. Carlock’s family approached Woods about sponsoring the Alabama version because of their ties to his home county.
SB30 is Woods’ first bill as a senator.
He won a June 2025 special election for Senate District 5 after former Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed resigned to serve as Governor Ivey’s Senior Advisor to Workforce Transformation.
State Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) sponsored the identical House companion bill, HB93. Faulkner carried SB30 in the House as well.
Thursday was day 12th of the 2026 legislative session. There are 18 legislative days remaining.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
