Rep. Karl E. Gillespie has put forward new legislation in the North Carolina House to expand access to locally sourced food among food-insecure populations and provide resources to nutrition assistance efforts, the North Carolina State House reports.
The proposal, available as HB 1154 and filed April 30 in the 2025 regular session, is officially titled “Expand the FarmSHARE Food Hub Program.”
The summary below reflects our review of the official bill text, with clarifying interpretations of key elements.
HB 1154 proposes a one-time appropriation of $4 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Funds would go to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for grants to the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, which would buy local foods for distribution at no cost to food-insecure North Carolinians, via the FarmSHARE program. The act mandates annual reports on farmer participation, program locations, and quantities distributed. An additional $2 million in one-time funding would be directed to the North Carolina Farmers Market Network’s Double Up Food Bucks Program, expanding access for nutrition assistance recipients to qualifying fruits and vegetables, with yearly reporting on participation and usage. If enacted, the bill becomes effective July 1, 2026.
Among four co-sponsors, Jonathan L. Almond filed the highest number of bills (32) during the current session.
Legislation in North Carolina must complete a multi-step path before being enacted. The process begins with a lawmaker filing a bill; it is then assigned to a committee. Each chamber must read the bill three times. If amended by either chamber after passage, both must reach consensus on identical language. Upon dual approval, the measure proceeds to the governor, who has 10 days—or 30 days if not in session—to sign, veto, or let the proposal become law without a signature.
Further information on pending and enacted measures is available here.
Rep. Gillespie, a Republican and the representative of North Carolina’s 120th House district, first won election to the North Carolina State House in 2021, succeeding Kevin Corbin.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karl E. Gillespie, Howard Penny, Jr., Jeffrey C. McNeely, and Jonathan L. Almond | HB 1154 | 04/30/2026 | Expand the FarmSHARE Food Hub Program. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Ben T. Moss, Jr., and Neal Jackson | HB 1214 | 04/30/2026 | Make E-Verify Great Again. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Jennifer Balkcom, John R. Bell, IV, and Matthew Winslow | HB 895 | 04/10/2025 | Emergency Citizen Pilot Training Program. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Celeste C. Cairns, Phil Shepard, and Steve Tyson | HB 869 | 04/09/2025 | Dynamic Symbol of Access. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Jeff Zenger, Mark Brody, and Matthew Winslow | HB 876 | 04/09/2025 | Development Application Review Time Lines. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Blair Eddins, Jennifer Balkcom, and Neal Jackson | HB 647 | 04/01/2025 | Ag. PUV Conservation. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Donna McDowell White, and Larry W. Potts | HB 590 | 03/31/2025 | Patient Safety/Med. Imaging/Radiation Therapy. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Julia C. Howard, Kyle Hall, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 559 | 03/27/2025 | Make Elevators Great Again.-AB |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Cody Huneycutt, Donny Lambeth, and Edward C. Goodwin | HB 512 | 03/25/2025 | Emer. Care/Animals/Vet. Practice. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Cody Huneycutt, Donnie Loftis, and Howard Penny, Jr. | HB 471 | 03/20/2025 | Food Labeling Transparency Act. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Donna McDowell White, Timothy Reeder, MD, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 433 | 03/18/2025 | Registered Nurses in Schools. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Cody Huneycutt, Harry Warren, and Jeff Zenger | HB 381 | 03/12/2025 | On-Site Wastewater System Amendments. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Brian Turner, Cody Huneycutt, and John R. Bell, IV | HB 382 | 03/12/2025 | Elk Permit Auction/Raffle. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Brenden H. Jones, Frank Iler, and Steve Tyson | HB 295 | 03/05/2025 | Req. DOT to Install Prop. Corner Markers. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Carson Smith, and Charles W. Miller | HB 300 | 03/05/2025 | Vet Care for Retired First Responder Dogs. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Carson Smith, Jay Adams, and Keith Kidwell | HB 234 | 02/26/2025 | Little Federal Model NC Edition. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Jennifer Balkcom, John R. Bell, IV, and John Sauls | HB 177 | 02/24/2025 | Reduce Barriers to State Employment. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Dudley Greene, Howard Penny, Jr., and Mark Brody | HB 184 | 02/24/2025 | Promote North Carolina Sawmills. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Carla D. Cunningham, Donna McDowell White, and Larry W. Potts | HB 160 | 02/21/2025 | Joel H. Crisp SUDEP Awareness Law. |
| Karl E. Gillespie, Jennifer Balkcom, Jimmy Dixon, and Neal Jackson | HB 62 | 02/05/2025 | Farmers Protection Act. |
| Karl E. Gillespie | HB 63 | 02/05/2025 | Town of Andrews/Deannexation. |
