The Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted unanimously to pass House Bill 4227, legislation that is being referred to as the “Cindy Clemishire Act.” The bill is aimed at restricting the use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of child sex abuse and bolstering mandatory reporting requirements.
Clemishire is a child sex abuse survivor who came forward in 2024 to reveal that Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, had sexually abused her when she was 12 years old.
Morris’ abuse of Clemishire occurred in the early 1980s when Morris was a traveling evangelist and would stay with Clemishire’s family in Oklahoma. Morris went on to found Gateway Church in 2000, growing the congregation to a multisite megachurch.
Through the years, Morris often spoke openly about past “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.” When Clemishire came forward, she revealed that she was the “young lady” in that account, and that she was a child at the time.
Morris resigned in disgrace shortly after Clemishire came forward to share her story.
Gateway subsequently hired a third-party investigator to conduct an inquiry into whether other members of the church’s leadership were aware of Morris’ abuse. The investigation revealed that several members of the leadership team either had knowledge of Morris’ abuse or knew enough that they ought to have sought further clarity. Those individuals were removed from leadership.
Gateway eventually installed Daniel Floyd as the church’s new lead pastor.
In March 2025, Morris was charged in Oklahoma with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. In October 2025, he pleaded guilty and received a 10-year prison sentence. All but six months of the sentence were suspended.
Clemishire has filed civil litigation against Morris, and Morris is also involved in back-and-forth litigation with Gateway Church.
In Oklahoma, the new legislation passed by the state House of Representatives includes protections modeled after “Trey’s Law,” legislation that has been passed in Missouri and Texas and that has garnered support for national implementation.
