OKLAHOMA CITY (OK)
Baptist News Global [Jacksonville FL]
March 23, 2026
By Mallory Challis
On March 17, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass House Bill 4227, a piece of sexual abuse legislation now being referred to as the “Cindy Clemishire Act.”
Cindy Clemishire is an Oklahoma native who was sexually abused as a child by Gateway Church founder Robert Morris back in the 1980s. Clemishire brought public charges against Morris last year for childhood sexual abuse, and in October, he pled guilty to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
The legislation includes a version of “Trey’s Law,” which makes nondisclosure agreements in both past and future settlement agreements related to sexual abuse cases void and unenforceable.
Clemishire says she is glad she never signed a nondisclosure agreement, despite several iterations of agreements presented during frustrating legal exchanges over the years. “Because I refused to sign that NDA at 37, I am able to sit here today at 55 years old and share my story in hopes of helping others,” Clemishire testified.
In addition to Trey’s Law, the Cindy Clemishire Act proposes modifications to the scope of mandatory reporting requirements, specifically regarding instances of abuse that occur between minors as well as removing the time limitation on how long reporters may take to report knowledge of potential instances of abuse. It also aims to strengthen legal measures to ensure victim information remains confidential and concealed at the appropriate times.
The legislation now moves to the Oklahoma State Senate for consideration.
The unanimous approval in the Oklahoma House is part of a national, survivor-led movement to amend laws relating to sexual abuse cases to make it easier for survivors in the United States to seek justice. Versions of Trey’s Law, which Clemishire has consistently testified in support of, have been filed in numerous states this legislative season, including Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio and West Virginia. In previous legislative seasons, it has passed in Alabama, Missouri and Texas with bipartisan support each time.
And most recently, senators Ted Cruz and Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a federal version called TREY’S Law (Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements Law) to the U.S. Congress.