Two bills that would provide financial assistance to University of Hawaii community college students are only a few steps from becoming law.

Minutes after the state Senate agreed to House amendments of Senate Bills 50 and 316 on Wednesday, setting them up for final reading and Gov. David Ige’s signature, supporters held a news conference to promote the benefits to low-income students.

“What’s wonderful about these two bills is these are focusing on students who need higher education the most,” said UH President David Lassner.

SB 50 allocates $455,000 for each of the next two fiscal years to fund positions to support the Hawaii Nutrition Employment and Training (HINET) program offered at several UH community colleges, while SB 316 would provide $1.4 million to maintain funding for the Hawaii Promise Program at all two-year campuses.

HINET, which started at Windward Community College in 2015, provides students with up to $4,700 for the school year through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly known as food stamps, and reimbursement for school supplies and transportation costs.

Bernadette Garrett, a WCC student who was in the HINET program, said it helped her get through a tough start at school, when she found herself sometimes having to choose between buying expensive textbooks or food.

“HINET helped me to choose education over having to work and feed myself,” she said. “It gave me the motivation and confidence to ensure, as a first-generation Native Hawaiian college student, (I would) continue on the path that my kupuna, my mother, has set out for me.”

Garrett said she was initially afraid of applying for SNAP benefits because “you don’t know really who’s going to judge you,” but it was something she had to get over in order to pursue her education.

Although she is no longer a part of the program and is now attending classes at UH-Manoa, Garrett said HINET aided her transition into a similar program with Goodwill Industries of Hawaii.

Many of the 290 students enrolled in HINET are Native Hawaiian and the program has proved effective in helping participants return for another school year, according to UH officials.

To qualify, students have to be eligible for SNAP and taking at least six credits at a UH community college while working toward degrees or certificates geared toward entering the workplace.

SB 316 would appropriate an additional $700,000 for the Hawaii Promise Program for each of the next two fiscal years, adding to the annual $1.8 million it already receives. The state Legislature also appropriated $700,000 for the program in 2018.

In 2017, when the Hawaii Promise Program was introduced, more than 1,400 students were assisted, with an average award of $1,200.

The program provides “last dollar” funding for UH community college students who have exhausted other forms of assistance but have remaining educational costs.

To take advantage of the Hawaii Promise Program, students have to qualify for in-state tuition, enroll in at least six credits and apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).