S. 4524: Speak Out Act
Bill · 117th Congress (2021–2022). Became law, 7 Dec 2022 · Public Law 117-224. Introduced 13 Jul 2022.
Official title: A bill to limit the judicial enforceability of predispute nondisclosure and nondisparagement contract clauses relating to disputes involving sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Vote results
- House, 16 Nov 2022: Passed, 315 Yea, 109 Nay, 0 Present, 8 Not voting. The House’s roll call
- Senate, 29 Sep 2022: agreed to by unanimous consent; the record lists no member’s position. In the record’s words: “Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.”
- President: Signed 7 Dec 2022 · Public Law 117-224
How each member voted
White House
Signed (1): Joseph Biden (D, President).
Not in office (1): Donald Trump (R, President).
Senate
Agreed to by unanimous consent: the record lists no member’s position.
House
Yea (315): Harold Rogers (R-KY-5); Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ-4); Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD-5); Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9); Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR-4); Fred Upton (R-MI-6); Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-6); Richard E. Neal (D-MA-1); David E. Price (D-NC-4); Jim Cooper (D-TN-5); Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT-3); Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10); Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-2); Ken Calvert (R-CA-42); James E. Clyburn (D-SC-6); Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA-18); Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30); Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12); Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-40); Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-1); Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-3); Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-7); Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS-2); Frank D. Lucas (R-OK-3); Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-35); Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18); Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19); Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3); Steve Chabot (R-OH-1); Danny K. Davis (D-IL-7); Diana DeGette (D-CO-1); Kay Granger (R-TX-12); Ron Kind (D-WI-3); James P. McGovern (D-MA-2); Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-9); Brad Sherman (D-CA-30); Adam Smith (D-WA-9); Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-5); Barbara Lee (D-CA-13); John B. Larson (D-CT-1); Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA-32); Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL-9); Michael K. Simpson (R-ID-2); Mike Thompson (D-CA-5); Sam Graves (R-MO-6); James R. Langevin (D-RI-2); Rick Larsen (D-WA-2); Betty McCollum (D-MN-4); Adam B. Schiff (D-CA-28); Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-8); Michael C. Burgess (R-TX-26); Tom Cole (R-OK-4); Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25); Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-3); C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD-2); David Scott (D-GA-13); Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA-38); Darrell Issa (R-CA-50); Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-5); Jim Costa (D-CA-16); Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28); Al Green (D-TX-9); Brian Higgins (D-NY-26); Michael T. McCaul (R-TX-10); Patrick T. McHenry (R-NC-10); Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5); Gwen Moore (D-WI-4); Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23); Doris O. Matsui (D-CA-6); Albio Sires (D-NJ-8); Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL-12); Kathy Castor (D-FL-14); Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-9); Steve Cohen (D-TN-9); Joe Courtney (D-CT-2); Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA-4); Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23); Jerry McNerney (D-CA-9); Ed Perlmutter (D-CO-7); John P. Sarbanes (D-MD-3); Adrian Smith (R-NE-3); John A. Yarmuth (D-KY-3); Robert E. Latta (R-OH-5); Robert J. Wittman (R-VA-1); André Carson (D-IN-7); Jackie Speier (D-CA-14); Steve Scalise (R-LA-1); Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11); Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2); James A. Himes (D-CT-4); Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO-3); Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1); Bill Posey (R-FL-8); Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15); Paul Tonko (D-NY-20); Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5); Mike Quigley (D-IL-5); Judy Chu (D-CA-27); John Garamendi (D-CA-3); Bill Foster (D-IL-11); Karen Bass (D-CA-37); Larry Bucshon (R-IN-8); David N. Cicilline (D-RI-1); Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (R-AR-1); H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9); Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-4); Bill Huizenga (R-MI-2); Bill Johnson (R-OH-6); William R. Keating (D-MA-9); Mike Kelly (R-PA-16); David B. McKinley (R-WV-1); Steven M. Palazzo (R-MS-4); David Schweikert (R-AZ-6); Terri A. Sewell (D-AL-7); Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL-24); Steve Womack (R-AR-3); Dina Titus (D-NV-1); Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-7); Mark E. Amodei (R-NV-2); Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1); Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA-1); Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ-10); Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3); Ami Bera (D-CA-7); Julia Brownley (D-CA-26); Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17); Matt Cartwright (D-PA-8); Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20); Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29); Lois Frankel (D-FL-21); Richard Hudson (R-NC-8); Jared Huffman (D-CA-2); Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY-8); David P. Joyce (R-OH-14); Daniel T. Kildee (D-MI-5); Derek Kilmer (D-WA-6); Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ-2); Ann M. Kuster (D-NH-2); Alan S. Lowenthal (D-CA-47); Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18); Grace Meng (D-NY-6); Scott H. Peters (D-CA-52); Mark Pocan (D-WI-2); Tom Rice (R-SC-7); Raul Ruiz (D-CA-36); Chris Stewart (R-UT-2); Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15); Mark Takano (D-CA-41); Juan Vargas (D-CA-51); Marc A. Veasey (D-TX-33); Ann Wagner (R-MO-2); Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2); Jason Smith (R-MO-8); Katherine M. Clark (D-MA-5); Alma S. Adams (D-NC-12); Donald Norcross (D-NJ-1); Pete Aguilar (D-CA-31); Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA-8); Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-2); Ken Buck (R-CO-4); Ed Case (D-HI-1); Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11); Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12); Tom Emmer (R-MN-6); Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-7); Garret Graves (R-LA-6); J. French Hill (R-AR-2); John Katko (R-NY-24); Brenda L. Lawrence (D-MI-14); Ted Lieu (D-CA-33); Seth Moulton (D-MA-6); Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4); Kathleen M. Rice (D-NY-4); David Rouzer (R-NC-7); Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY-21); Norma J. Torres (D-CA-35); Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12); Bradley Scott Schneider (D-IL-10); David G. Valadao (R-CA-21); James Comer (R-KY-1); Dwight Evans (D-PA-3); Jodey C. Arrington (R-TX-19); Don Bacon (R-NE-2); Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44); Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5); Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-AL); Anthony G. Brown (D-MD-4); Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA-24); J. Luis Correa (D-CA-46); Val Butler Demings (D-FL-10); Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13); Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1); Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8); Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15); Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5); Steven Horsford (D-NV-4); Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7); Ro Khanna (D-CA-17); Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8); David Kustoff (R-TN-8); Al Lawson, Jr. (D-FL-5); Stephanie N. Murphy (D-FL-7); Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-1); Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20); Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8); Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11); Darren Soto (D-FL-9); Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY-3); Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34); John R. Curtis (R-UT-3); Conor Lamb (D-PA-17); Troy Balderson (R-OH-12); Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY-25); Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5); Susan Wild (D-PA-7); Colin Z. Allred (D-TX-32); Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-AL); Cynthia Axne (D-IA-3); Tim Burchett (R-TN-2); Sean Casten (D-IL-6); Angie Craig (D-MN-2); Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2); Jason Crow (D-CO-6); Sharice Davids (D-KS-3); Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4); Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16); Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-7); Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX-29); Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL-4); Jared F. Golden (D-ME-2); Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16); Lance Gooden (R-TX-5); Josh Harder (D-CA-10); Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5); Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6); Andy Kim (D-NJ-3); Susie Lee (D-NV-3); Andy Levin (D-MI-9); Mike Levin (D-CA-49); Elaine G. Luria (D-VA-2); Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-7); Lucy McBath (D-GA-6); Daniel Meuser (R-PA-9); Joe Neguse (D-CO-2); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14); Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5); Chris Pappas (D-NH-1); Dean Phillips (D-MN-3); Katie Porter (D-CA-45); Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7); Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14); Kim Schrier (D-WA-8); Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11); Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-8); Abigail Davis Spanberger (D-VA-7); Greg Stanton (D-AZ-9); Haley M. Stevens (D-MI-11); Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13); Lori Trahan (D-MA-3); David J. Trone (D-MD-6); Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14); Michael Waltz (R-FL-6); Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10); Fred Keller (R-PA-12); Gregory F. Murphy (R-NC-3); Mike Garcia (R-CA-25); Chris Jacobs (R-NY-27); Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-4); Stephanie I. Bice (R-OK-5); Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA-7); Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16); Cori Bush (D-MO-1); Kat Cammack (R-FL-3); Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4); Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-2); Carlos A. Gimenez (R-FL-26); Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23); Ashley Hinson (R-IA-1); Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53); Mondaire Jones (D-NY-17); Kaiali’i Kahele (D-HI-2); Young Kim (R-CA-39); Jake LaTurner (R-KS-2); Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-3); Nancy Mace (R-SC-1); Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11); Kathy E. Manning (D-NC-6); Peter Meijer (R-MI-3); Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-2); Blake D. Moore (R-UT-1); Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN-1); Marie Newman (D-IL-3); Burgess Owens (R-UT-4); Deborah K. Ross (D-NC-2); Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27); Victoria Spartz (R-IN-5); Michelle Steel (R-CA-48); Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10); Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15); Nikema Williams (D-GA-5); Julia Letlow (R-LA-5); Troy A. Carter (D-LA-2); Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM-1); Jake Ellzey (R-TX-6); Shontel M. Brown (D-OH-11); Mike Carey (R-OH-15); Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20); Connie Conway (R-CA-22); Mayra Flores (R-TX-34); Mike Flood (R-NE-1); Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK-AL); Patrick Ryan (D-NY-19); Joseph Sempolinski (R-NY-23); G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1); A. Donald McEachin (D-VA-4).
Nay (109): Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL-4); Kevin Brady (R-TX-8); Pete Sessions (R-TX-17); Joe Wilson (R-SC-2); John R. Carter (R-TX-31); Mike Rogers (R-AL-3); Michael R. Turner (R-OH-10); Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5); Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1); Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16); Jim Jordan (R-OH-4); Doug Lamborn (R-CO-5); Tim Walberg (R-MI-7); Tom McClintock (R-CA-4); Mo Brooks (R-AL-5); Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-4); Jeff Duncan (R-SC-3); Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (R-TN-3); Bob Gibbs (R-OH-7); Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ-4); Andy Harris (R-MD-1); Billy Long (R-MO-7); Austin Scott (R-GA-8); Daniel Webster (R-FL-11); Thomas Massie (R-KY-4); Andy Barr (R-KY-6); Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-1); Markwayne Mullin (R-OK-2); Scott Perry (R-PA-10); Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX-14); Brad R. Wenstrup (R-OH-2); Roger Williams (R-TX-25); Rick W. Allen (R-GA-12); Brian Babin (R-TX-36); Mike Bost (R-IL-12); Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA-1); Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6); Jody B. Hice (R-GA-10); Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11); John R. Moolenaar (R-MI-4); Alexander X. Mooney (R-WV-2); Gary J. Palmer (R-AL-6); Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4); Lee M. Zeldin (R-NY-1); Trent Kelly (R-MS-1); Darin LaHood (R-IL-18); Warren Davidson (R-OH-8); Jim Banks (R-IN-3); Jack Bergman (R-MI-1); Ted Budd (R-NC-13); Neal P. Dunn (R-FL-2); A. Drew Ferguson IV (R-GA-3); Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1); Clay Higgins (R-LA-3); Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN-9); Mike Johnson (R-LA-4); Brian J. Mast (R-FL-18); John H. Rutherford (R-FL-4); Ron Estes (R-KS-4); Ralph Norman (R-SC-5); Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-8); Michael Cloud (R-TX-27); Kevin Hern (R-OK-1); James R. Baird (R-IN-4); Ben Cline (R-VA-6); Russ Fulcher (R-ID-1); Mark E. Green (R-TN-7); Michael Guest (R-MS-3); Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL); John Joyce (R-PA-13); Carol D. Miller (R-WV-3); Greg Pence (R-IN-6); John W. Rose (R-TN-6); Chip Roy (R-TX-21); Pete Stauber (R-MN-8); Bryan Steil (R-WI-1); W. Gregory Steube (R-FL-17); Van Taylor (R-TX-3); William R. Timmons IV (R-SC-4); Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ-2); Claudia Tenney (R-NY-22); Dan Bishop (R-NC-9); Thomas P. Tiffany (R-WI-7); Cliff Bentz (R-OR-2); Lauren Boebert (R-CO-3); Jerry L. Carl (R-AL-1); Madison Cawthorn (R-NC-11); Andrew S. Clyde (R-GA-9); Byron Donalds (R-FL-19); Pat Fallon (R-TX-4); Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-7); Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-5); Scott Franklin (R-FL-15); Bob Good (R-VA-5); Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14); Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-1); Yvette Herrell (R-NM-2); Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13); Tracey Mann (R-KS-1); Lisa C. McClain (R-MI-10); Mary E. Miller (R-IL-15); Barry Moore (R-AL-2); Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22); Jay Obernolte (R-CA-8); August Pfluger (R-TX-11); Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr. (R-MT-AL); Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24); Brad Finstad (R-MN-1); Rudy Yakym III (R-IN-2).
Not voting (8): Maxine Waters (D-CA-43); Tim Ryan (D-OH-13); Peter Welch (D-VT-AL); Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3); Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16); Rodney Davis (R-IL-13); Liz Cheney (R-WY-AL); Michael F. Doyle (D-PA-18).
Speaker, not listed (1): Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12).
Not in office (16): Don Young (R-AK-AL); Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL-20); Devin Nunes (R-CA-22); Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE-1); Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL-22); Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH-11); Tom Reed (R-NY-23); Steve Stivers (R-OH-15); Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-2); Jackie Walorski (R-IN-2); Filemon Vela (D-TX-34); Charlie Crist (D-FL-13); Antonio Delgado (D-NY-19); Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-1); Debra A. Haaland (D-NM-1); Ron Wright (R-TX-6).
Summary
Main subject: Provides that nondisclosure and nondisparagement contract clauses agreed to before a dispute arises are not judicially enforceable in sexual assault and sexual harassment disputes where the conduct is alleged to have violated law. Sec. 4
Its core areas: Judicial enforceability of predispute nondisclosure and nondisparagement clauses in sexual assault and sexual harassment disputes.
Unexpected Items: 0 provisions
What it does
- Sec. 4: Bars courts from enforcing a nondisclosure clause or nondisparagement clause agreed to before a sexual assault or sexual harassment dispute arises, where conduct is alleged to have violated Federal, Tribal, or State law.
- Sec. 3: Defines a nondisclosure clause as a contract provision requiring parties not to disclose or discuss conduct, the existence of a settlement involving conduct, or information covered by the contract's terms.
- Sec. 3: Defines a nondisparagement clause as a contract provision requiring one or more parties not to make a negative statement about another party that relates to the contract, agreement, claim, or case.
- Sec. 4: Does not prohibit a State or locality from enforcing a State law on nondisclosure or nondisparagement clauses that is at least as protective of an individual's right to speak freely as the Act.
- Sec. 4: Does not prohibit an employer and an employee from protecting trade secrets or proprietary information.
- Sec. 5: Applies the Act to a claim filed under Federal, State, or Tribal law on or after the date of enactment.
Written automatically from the official text by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model. Written 15 Oct 2026 and published after the automatic checks, without a person reading it first. Every line names the section it came from.