SOL Reform

State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) introduced two bills related to the protection of sexual abuse victims — one focused on increased confidentiality during litigation for cases involving sexual abuse evidence, and the other with measures to ensure confidentiality disclosures cannot be used to silence childhood sexual abuse victims.

Senate Bill (SB) 835 defines the enforceability related to “certain nondisclosure or confidentiality provisions with respect to an act of sexual abuse committed against a child.” The bill states that any confidentiality agreements, including employee non-disclosure agreements, are void in cases where it would limit “the party’s ability to notify a local or state law enforcement agency …  of any act of sexual abuse committed against a child.”

Senate Bill (SB) 836 prohibits forensic medical examination evidence from sexual abuse victims from being used to “investigate or prosecute a misdemeanor offense or an offense … alleged to have been committed by the victim from whom the evidence was collected.” The bill clarifies that no such evidence may be made available to the public, including “a visual image or a recording made as part of the examination.”