S. 3966 · Where this bill is now
In the House
Passed the Senate May 20, 2026. Received May 20, 2026; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryAllows disclosure of child sexual abuse cases
This bill makes nondisclosure clauses unenforceable when they're used to silence people about sexual abuse against minors. In other words, if someone signs a contract that says they can't talk about abuse, that part of the contract becomes void. The bill applies to contracts signed before or after it becomes law, and it overrides state laws that might otherwise allow such silence clauses.
How it affects you
If you're a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, this means no contract can legally prevent you from speaking about what happened to you. Anyone else who has information about child sexual abuse could also speak freely without fear of legal consequences from a nondisclosure agreement. This could make it easier for victims to come forward and for families and communities to know about abuse.
Read the official summary (Passed Senate, May 20, 2026)
Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements Law or TREY'S Law
This bill limits the enforceability of nondisclosure clauses that prohibit the disclosure of sexual abuse against a minor.
Specifically, the bill makes a nondisclosure clause in a contract void and unenforceable to the extent that it prohibits (1) a victim or alleged victim of sexual abuse against a minor from disclosing the sexual abuse or facts related to it, or (2) any other person from disclosing facts related to the sexual abuse of a minor.
These changes apply to any nondisclosure clause in a contract entered into before, on, or after this bill's date of enactment.
Further, the changes made by this bill supersede any state law to the extent the state law permits enforcement of a nondisclosure clause that prohibits the disclosure of sexual abuse against a minor.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 3966
AN ACT
TREY'S Law
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) · Introduced Mar 3, 2026 · Law · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action May 20, 2026: “Held at the desk.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 3 official versions.