Legislation creating a state tax credit to boost charitable donations of deer from hunters cleared a House committee Tuesday.

The Finance Committee voted unanimously in favor of House Bill 2193 creating the Deer Processors Tax Credit.

The goal of the tax credit is to encourage hunters to donate more pounds of venison to charities, said Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Luzerne, the bill sponsor.

Hunters take a slain deer to a licensed processor who can butcher and prepare the meat for distribution. That can be costly and discourage donations, said Pashinski.

HB2193 proposes to defray costs by giving a tax credit to businesses to process venison without charge for hunger relief organizations.

A processor would get a $100 tax credit for each deer processed, up to $5,000 annually under the bill.

During the 2024-25 hunting season, hunters donated a record 283,789 pounds of venison from 7,855 deer statewide. That donation provided more than 1 million servings of venison, said Pashinski.

Advocates describe venison as lean, high-protein meat that food panties welcome.

The two chambers often move tax credit bills in the weeks leading to the June 30 state budget deadline. The action signals political support as budget negotiators decide on the mix of tax breaks for the coming fiscal year.