Josie Phillips joined OK Policy in June 2020 as a policy intern and transitioned into a policy Fellowship with a focus on labor and the economy in August 2021. She served as a Policy Fellow until July 2022. She currently serves as State Priorities Partnership Fellow with the Maine Center on Economic Policy. Josie graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2020 with a double major in Economics and International & Area Studies along with a minor in Spanish. While she has dabbled in working with various non profit organizations and a political campaign, her most treasured experience before entering the public policy field has been her time volunteering with the Women’s Resource Center, a rape crisis center and domestic violence shelter in Norman, Oklahoma.
By: Josie Phillips
June 23, 2022 // Updated: June 24, 2022
To protect the long-term health of our economy, Oklahoma’s lawmakers should enact policies that will strengthen Oklahoma’s labor force participation, which has been declining for more than a decade. Policies that invest in our workforce — such as guaranteeing paid… Read more [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
June 14, 2022 // Updated: June 14, 2022
By gavelling in for a special legislative session to address inflation relief, lawmakers have the opportunity to enact real and positive tax reform. The slate of bills introduced by House leadership offer little actual timely relief to the low- and… Read more [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
April 26, 2022 // Updated: April 26, 2022
The legislature should reject HB 1933 and any other bills that would inhibit the ability of the unemployment insurance program to provide the support our workers and our economy need. [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
March 23, 2022 // Updated: March 22, 2022
While macroeconomic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (the size of an economy) and the unemployment rate (the percentage of people who want work but can’t find it) are useful for measuring the overall health of an economy, they conceal inequalities and long-standing structural challenges that hurt many Oklahomans' ability to provide for themselves and participate in our economy. [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
March 15, 2022 // Updated: August 30, 2024
The labor force participation rate measures the percentage of the non-institutionalized, working-age civilian population that is currently in the labor force (meaning they either have a job or are looking for work). Working-age refers to anyone 16 years of age… Read more [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
February 22, 2022 // Updated: February 18, 2022
Given the reasonably anticipated increase in need for employment accommodations due to COVID-related symptoms, Oklahoma’s Legislature should act now to create and implement a state paid family and medical leave program that will support job and paycheck stability to workers caring for their own or their families’ long COVID-related conditions. [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
January 18, 2022 // Updated: January 20, 2022
When talking about raising the minimum wage, opponents sometimes claim that a higher minimum wage will raise the prices of goods, especially in labor-intensive industries like restaurants. This is sometimes accompanied by a jab such as “enjoy paying $20 for… Read more [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
January 10, 2022 // Updated: January 10, 2022
Given the importance of data to advocacy efforts, our state government should pursue policies that will further our understanding of anti-LGBTQ2S+ discrimination. [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
January 4, 2022 // Updated: January 10, 2022
To ensure every resident has equal opportunities for success, Oklahoma’s elected officials and policymakers must understand the variety of ways discrimination impacts LGBTQ2S+ Oklahomans' lives. [More...]
By: Josie Phillips
July 23, 2021 // Updated: January 25, 2022
The last time the national minimum wage was raised was in 2007, with the wage increase taking effect on July 24, 2009. A minimum wage is meant to ensure a minimum standard of living for each employee — particularly entry-level… Read more [More...]