SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A proposal to establish a task force to study and prepare recommendations for how to give reparations to African Americans passed the California Assembly on Wednesday.

The bill advanced with a 56-5 vote as protests nationwide over police brutality re-energized the movement for racial justice and activists pressed for sweeping reforms. It is a top priority for California's Legislative Black Caucus.

If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, eight people with backgrounds in racial justice reforms would lead a study into who would be eligible for compensation due to slavery and how it should be awarded.