University of Hawaii football coach Nick Rolovich told state senators Friday that passage of a bill to help underwrite travel for UH athletic programs would send a much-needed message about the viability of those programs.

After a two-hour hearing, three Senate committees unanimously forwarded Senate Bill 83, which would divide $3 million between programs at the university’s Manoa and Hilo campuses.

If passed into law, Rolovich said the measure would be “a strong statement for all of our programs,” and counter doubts about whether they are supported.

“This was my first go-around as a head coach in recruiting, and in talking to families there is a strong perception on the mainland about the support (and) security of our athletic department and football program because of some statements that were made in the past,” Rolovich told senators in an overflowing hearing before the Ways and Means, Higher Education and the Arts, and Tourism and International Affairs committees.

The appropriation for 2016-17 would come from the tourism special fund of transient accommodations tax revenue, which also underwrites the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Thereafter, appropriations for athletics would be up to the governor.

Sen. Jill Tokuda (D, Kaneohe-Kailua) touted the bill as “a unique opportunity and approach to support our student athletes.” Three of those student athletes testified for the bill.

But HTA President and CEO George D. Szigeti told legislators, “We are very opposed to the funding model. We’ll see where this goes, but obviously we are very concerned. If we lose this kind of funding, where do we cut? You can’t lose $3 million and not look at certain programs.”

Even with an overall budget of $82 million, Szigeti said HTA trails competing destinations such as Mexico and Singapore, which have budgets of $587 million and $220 million, respectively.

He noted the HTA helps underwrite tourism-related events involving UH, including the Diamond Head Classic, to which it contributes $525,000 annually.

UH Manoa athletic director David Matlin said, “We were thankful for the opportunity to tell our story and appreciate the support. What I like is that the narrative is changing and a lot of people see the uniqueness of our situation and the problems that do (require) support.”

Sen. Sam Slom (R, Ka­hala-Hawaii Kai), who voted for the measure with reservations, said, “I don’t see this as really solving the basic problems that we have. It is going to be interesting to show how the $3 million is divided up.”

Manoa has been seeking $3 million on its own from the Legislature, and Hilo has been seeking $560,000, but Matlin said, “I understand that it is a balancing act (for legislators). We would be appreciative whatever we could get. They (Hilo) have needs, similar and legitimate needs, just on a different scale.”

KFVE General Manager John Fink, who testified as an individual, said, “This should not pit UH against the HTA. They should be working together. To suggest that the HTA’s funding is the only way is overly simplistic and actually creates an unnecessary rift among two state entities that need to work together.”