State lawmakers agreed Wednesday on the final language of a bill that would require the chiefs of Hawaii’s police departments to disclose annually the identities of county police officers who are suspended or discharged for misconduct.

House Bill 285 passed the House-Senate conference committee Wednesday. If it passes a floor session vote expected next week by the full House and Senate, it can be sent to Gov. David Ige, who can then sign it into law.

HB 285 in its current form would require the chiefs to identify the officer who was suspended or fired, summarize the details of the misconduct that led to the suspension or firing, and specify the disciplinary action.

The bill was originally introduced last year but was carried over to this year when the Legislature reconvened Monday.

The killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man from Minneapolis, at the hands of police sparked weeks of nationwide and international protest, including thousands who participated in multiple protests in Hawaii. That may have prompted more interest in passing HB 285.

Protests across the country have led to widespread calls for reform within police departments.

The bill also would amend the state’s Uniform Information Practices Act, which protects the police departments from disclosing the names of officers who are suspended. The law already requires the identities of discharged police officers to be made public. The names of officers who resign do not have to be disclosed.

Additionally, the bill would attempt to strengthen the Law Enforcement Standards Board — in part by modifying its membership and requiring it to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding statewide policies for police officers.

The Star-Advertiser reported that there were 67 county police officers in Hawaii who were disciplined in 2019, 37 of whom worked with the Honolulu Police Department. Identifying information and details about the disciplinary actions taken were not disclosed.

Testimony submitted for the bill was mostly supportive.

Cheryl Kakazu Park, director of the Office of Information Practices, said in her testimony that the bill “would treat information about an officer’s suspension the same way as information about any other government employee’s suspension” by removing protections for police officers.

The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest, Common Cause Hawaii, the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter and ACLU Hawaii are among the organizations that also voiced support of HB 285.

The most notable opponent of the bill is the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, whose testimony said that current protocol and procedures for police departments are strict and that the bill would not help discourage misconduct.

“Publicly disclosing an officer’s name adds absolutely nothing to the multi-layered disciplinary procedures and protocols that are already in place which holds each and every officer responsible for his/her actions under the highest scrutiny,” Malcolm Lutu, president of SHOPO, said in his testimony. “What HB 285 will promote is the selling of newspapers, shaming our officers’ families and discouraging new recruits from joining the department.”