Why This Tracker Exists
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), every state must submit a four-year plan to the U.S. Department of Labor — and modify it at the two-year mark. Each modification requires a public comment period. These comment periods are how the public participates in shaping workforce policy.
The problem: there is no centralized place to find them. WorkforceGPS does not aggregate comment windows. DOL does not publish a schedule. A civic organization trying to participate across states faces an opaque, fragmented landscape with no single source of truth.
The empty cells in this table are the story.
What We Found
- Only 6 of 36 researched states had comment periods discoverable through standard web search on the day they were open.
- Comment window lengths vary wildly — New Mexico ran 9 days. Kansas closed at noon on a Friday. Iowa and Nebraska closed before the original federal deadline.
- 8 states have no publicly findable evidence of a modification or comment period — either the process happened invisibly or hasn't happened yet.
- No standardization exists for comment period length, submission format, or public notice requirements across states.
| State | Status | Plan Type | Comment Period | Contact / Submit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No Public Data | — | — | Dept of Commerce, Workforce Dev Division | No modification or comment period found. May be using Apr 30 federal extension. |
| Alaska | No Public Data | — | — | DOLWD, Alaska Workforce Investment Board | No modification or comment period found in research. |
| Arizona | No Public Data | — | — | DES, ARIZONA@WORK | Waivers guide references plan modification but no public dates. Prior cycle: only 14-day window. |
| Arkansas | Open | Combined | Closes ~Apr 25, 2026 | wioa@arkansas.gov | Waivers in 30-day comment. Seeking to consolidate ALL local boards into single state entity (target Jul 2027). |
| California | Closed | Combined | Closed Feb 11, 2026 | WIOAStatePlan@cwdb.ca.gov | In federal review. |
| Colorado | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 3 | cwdc@state.co.us | |
| Connecticut | Closed | — | Closed before Mar 3, 2026 | Office of Workforce Strategy | Submitted Mar 3 under original deadline. |
| Delaware | Open | Unified | Closes ~Apr 9, 2026 | DOL_DET_WIOA_Helpdesk@delaware.gov | Full draft + 14 appendices posted. Verify exact end date. |
| District of Columbia | Open | Unified | Closes Apr 19, 2026 | wioa.state_plan@dc.gov | Single workforce area. Recently deployed Unite Us referral platform (Jan 2026). |
| Florida | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 3 | info@careersourceflorida.com | |
| Georgia | No Public Data | — | — | TCSG, WorkSource Georgia | No 2026 modification found. Next SWDB meeting May 21. |
| Hawaii | Closed | — | Closed ~Mar 23, 2026 | Workforce Development Council | Ratified at Apr 2 board meeting. |
| Idaho | Closed | — | Feb 9 – Mar 11, 2026 | WIOAPlan@labor.idaho.gov | Single-area state, well-documented. |
| Illinois | Closed | — | ~Jan – Mar 2026 | DCEO / Illinois WorkNet | Phased engagement: webinars + survey. |
| Indiana | Closed | — | Feb 18 – Mar 20, 2026 | policy@dwd.in.gov | Strategic region realignment underway. |
| Iowa | Closed | — | Closed Feb 26, 2026 | comment.iowa.gov | Excellent centralized portal. Closed before original federal deadline. |
| Kansas | Closed | — | Closed Apr 3 at Noon CDT | workforcesvcs@ks.gov | Missed by hours. |
| Kentucky | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | Web portal (secure.kentucky.gov) | Confirmation received. |
| Louisiana | No Public Data | — | — | Louisiana Workforce Commission | No comment announcement found. HB 680 may modify WIOA requirements. |
| Maine | No Public Data | — | — | swb.DOL@maine.gov | Historical pattern: very short windows (2 weeks). May have closed quietly. |
| Maryland | No Public Data | Combined | — | Dept of Labor, GWDB | Combined plan 2024-2028. No 2026 modification visible. May be in development. |
| Massachusetts | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 3 | stateworkforceboard@mass.gov | |
| Michigan | Closed | Combined | ~Feb 6 – Mar 8, 2026 | LEO Bureau of Workforce Dev | 454-page draft. |
| Minnesota | Closed | Combined | Feb 17 – Mar 16, 2026 | State.Plan.WIOA@state.mn.us | |
| Mississippi | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | jwillis@acceleratems.org | |
| Missouri | Closed | — | Unknown | Dhewd.mowioaplan@dhewd.mo.gov | State-level process opaque. Local boards posted separately. |
| Montana | Open | Converting to Combined | Closes Apr 27, 2026 at 5 PM | Online at swib.mt.gov | Adding Perkins V first time. HB 823, "406 JOBS" initiative. Public meeting Apr 27 (MSU campus). |
| Nebraska | Closed | — | Jan 30 – Mar 2, 2026 | ndol.wioa_policy@nebraska.gov | Closed before original federal deadline. |
| Nevada | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | owinn-general@detr.nv.gov | |
| New Hampshire | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 19 | Keith Ammon (House Majority Floor Leader) | Keith Ammon responded, reviewing. |
| New Jersey | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 3 | joan.desmarais@dol.nj.gov | |
| New Mexico | Closed | — | Mar 20 – Mar 29, 2026 | board.swdb@dws.nm.gov | Only 9 days — transparency concern. |
| New York | Closed | — | Feb 5 – Mar 8, 2026 | SWIB@labor.ny.gov | Acknowledged commenters by name. |
| North Carolina | Closed | — | Likely closed pre-March 2026 | NC Commerce | Local plans still open (Charlotte: May 1). |
| North Dakota | Closed | — | Feb 17 – Mar 16, 2026 | jsndplanning@nd.gov | Well-documented. |
| Ohio | Closed | Combined | Closed Feb 22, 2026 | ODJFS Office of Workforce Dev | Person-centered model. |
| Oklahoma | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 1 | Web form (oklahoma.gov) | |
| Oregon | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 1 | clay.martin@hecc.oregon.gov | |
| Pennsylvania | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | RA-LI-PAWDB@pa.gov | Auto-reply confirmed. Window closed Apr 1. |
| Rhode Island | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 3 | dlt.gwbinfo@dlt.ri.gov | |
| South Carolina | No Public Data | — | — | DEW / SC Works | Draft posted but comment dates not found. Verify by calling DEW. |
| South Dakota | Closed | — | Closed Jan 16, 2026 | DLR Workforce Services | Very early (started Dec 2025). |
| Tennessee | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | Workforce.Board@tn.gov | |
| Texas | Closed | — | Likely closed late 2025 / early 2026 | Texas Workforce Commission | Commission-approved. Exact dates unclear. |
| Utah | Closed | — | Closed ~Jan 2026 | Dept of Workforce Services | Virtual town hall Jan 14, 2026. |
| Vermont | Closed | — | Closed Feb 26, 2026 | OWSD@vermont.gov | Best-documented process in research. |
| Virginia | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 + Apr 3 | anthony.reedy@virginiaworks.gov | Hobie Lehman (Senate Committee) forwarded to committee. |
| Washington | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | tap.plan@wtb.wa.gov | |
| West Virginia | Open | Combined | Closes Apr 20, 2026 | wioa@wv.gov | Goals: work-based learning, credential attainment. SB 490 (Workforce Pell Grants) effective Jul 1, 2026. |
| Wisconsin | Commented | — | Submitted Apr 3 | WIOAComms@dwd.wisconsin.gov | |
| Wyoming | Commented | — | Submitted Mar 25 | DWS-WIOA@wyo.gov |
Last updated: April 3, 2026
Methodology
This tracker was compiled on April 3, 2026 using parallel research across all 50 states and DC. Sources include state workforce agency websites, DOL WorkforceGPS, public meeting minutes, state register notices, and direct agency correspondence.
"Commented" means The Scaffold Initiative submitted a public comment on the state's PY 2026-2027 WIOA plan modification. "No Public Data" means no publicly findable evidence of a modification draft or comment period was located through standard research methods.
This tracker will be updated as states open new comment windows or respond to outreach. If you have information about a state's comment period that isn't reflected here, contact us at policy@thescaffoldinitiative.org.
Federal context: The original WIOA plan modification deadline was March 3, 2026. DOL extended it to April 30, 2026 via TEGL 07-25 (January 26, 2026).