✅Relating to the enforceability of certain nondisclosure or confidentiality provisions with respect to an act of sexual abuse.

✅ SB 835: Survivor speech protections, gag clauses lose power in settlements

What it says it does:
Protects the right of a survivor to talk about sexual abuse, and makes gag clauses that try to stop that speech unenforceable.

What it actually changes:
Any confidentiality term that blocks sharing the facts of sexual abuse is void. This applies to new and old agreements. For older agreements, no one can enforce a gag unless they first win a final, not appealable court ruling. Settlement amounts and payment terms can still be kept private. Effective September 1, 2025.

Who is pushing for it:
Survivor advocacy groups, faith based organizations, and local officials listed in the files, including Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas and Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. One individual registered against. Not in files if others.

Who benefits:
Survivors who want to warn others or tell their story. Families, reporters, and communities that need facts to spot patterns and prevent repeat harm.

Who gets left out or exposed:
The public still cannot see settlement dollars, payment terms remain confidential. Institutions that relied on NDAs lose a key tool to bury facts, but they can still keep payouts quiet.

Why this matters long term:
The hush playbook weakens, facts can surface, and serial abuse is harder to hide. But money data stays in the dark, which can limit public understanding of how often and how much was paid.

What to watch next:
Attempts to rebrand gags as non disparagement or no comment terms. Court responses to enforcement efforts on legacy NDAs. Whether lawmakers add fee shifting or sanctions for bad faith enforcement attempts. Whether any privacy safe aggregate reporting emerges to measure impact.

Bottom line:
SB 835 shifts power toward survivors and the public by protecting speech about abuse while leaving settlement dollars private. It is a clear transparency gain with one caveat, money patterns remain hidden unless future policy brings them to light.

#SB835 #TexasPolicy #KnowBeforeYouVote #SurvivorRights #CivilJustice #Transparency