$DCEO-BCOE

104th Regular Session Introduced by Willie Preston

The bill authorizes a $2 million General Revenue Fund grant to the Illinois DCEO to expand the Black Contractors, Owners, and Executives (BCOE) organization statewide to help Black

Overview

Title: $DCEO-BCOE

Sponsor: Sen. Willie Preston (co-sponsor listed)

Session: 104th Illinois General Assembly

Introduced: February 6, 2026

Principal aim: Authorizes a specific appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to support a grant program through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to expand the Black Contractors, Owners, and Executives (BCOE) organization statewide, with the goal of helping Black business owners grow their businesses.

Effective date: July 1, 2026

Key Provisions

Funding appropriation:

Amount: $2,000,000
Source: General Revenue Fund
Recipient: Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
Purpose of funding: To provide a grant to the Black Contractors, Owners, and Executives (BCOE) organization.

Program purpose and scope:

The grant is intended to expand BCOE statewide.
The objective is to assist Black business owners in growing their businesses through expanded organizational capacity and statewide reach.

Administration and oversight:

While the text specifies the grant amount and grantee (BCOE via DCEO), it does not detail performance metrics, reporting requirements, or eligibility criteria within the introduced measure. Those details would typically be established in subsequent rulemaking or grant agreements.

Who is Affected

Primary beneficiaries: Black business owners and entrepreneurs who are members or clients of the BCOE organization, particularly those seeking growth and scaling opportunities.

Grantee: Black Contractors, Owners, and Executives (BCOE) organization, which would receive the grant through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

State impact: Illinois, through the DCEO, would disburse $2 million in General Revenue funds to support the statewide expansion and services provided to Black-owned businesses.

Procedural and Timeline Details

Committee status: Assigned to Appropriations (as of February 24, 2026).

Next procedural steps: With Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline established for May 15, 2026, the bill would need to progress through committee actions and be ready for final consideration by that deadline, unless amended or advanced differently.

Effective date: The act would take effect on July 1, 2026, aligning with fiscal year planning and program implementation timelines.

Impact Considerations

The bill signals legislative support for targeted economic development and equity-focused assistance by providing a sizable grant to expand a Black-focused business organization.

In practice, success will hinge on:

The grant’s alignment with BCOE’s capacity-building and outreach plans.
Implementation details: grant eligibility, matching requirements (if any), performance metrics, reporting, and measurable outcomes for Black-owned businesses (e.g., job creation, revenue growth, access to contracting opportunities).
Oversight and accountability mechanisms to ensure the funds are used effectively to expand statewide services.

This summary captures the bill’s main purpose, key provisions, affected parties, and timeline. If you’d like, I can draft a one-page briefing with potential questions for a committee hearing or draft potential amendments to address implementation details.

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