Missouri Association of Social Welfare Pass Phil Curls Resolution

Senator Yvonne Wilson presented SR 1244, honoring the late Phil Curls, who passed away a few days earlier. 

 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1244 Whereas, the members of the Missouri Senate are deeply saddened by the news of the recent passing of former Missouri State Senator Phil B. Curls, Sr.; and Whereas, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, Phil B. Curls, Sr. was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1972 and served in that legislative body for eleven years; and Whereas, Phil B. Curls, Sr. was elected in a special election to represent the Ninth Senatorial District in 1983, and he served in the Missouri Senate until 1998; and Whereas, Phil B. Curls, Sr. was Chairman of the Interstate Cooperation Committee, Chairman of Insurance and Housing Committee, and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Corrections and General Laws, and the Health and Welfare Committee; and Whereas, Phil B. Curls, Sr. sponsored major legislation affecting the economic development of Kansas City and throughout Missouri, and he was an advocate and friend of Kansas City on the issues of housing, child and family services, health care and insurance; and Whereas, Phil B. Curls, Sr., as Chairman of the Insurance and Housing Committee, spearheaded a housing coalition of advocates, community leaders, businesses, insurance companies, the real estate industry, and developers to evaluate and provide solutions to Missouri’s housing shortage, and in order to increase the supply of affordable housing, Phil B. Curls, Sr. sponsored a list of legislation that stands as his legacy to this day; and Whereas, as the senior member of the Kansas City delegation in Jefferson City, Senator Curls was known as the consensus builder and was well respected among his peers and constituents; and Whereas, Phil B. Curls, Sr. was instrumental in the passage of legislation establishing the funding mechanism to allow the state to provide monies through the budget process to projects such as Bartle Hall and the Truman Sports Complex, which developed and continues to maintain sports, convention, exhibition and trade facilities within Kansas City; and Whereas, Phil B. Curls, Sr. earned additional distinction as President of Freedom Incorporated, where he ushered in Kansas City’s first black congressman and first black mayor, and he was committed to the development of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, which has been responsible for giving more than one million dollars in scholarships to Missouri youth; and Whereas, former Senator Curls is survived by his wife of 43 years, Councilwoman and former Missouri State Representative Melba Curls; a daughter, Monica, and four sons, Phil, Jr., Michael, Louis, and Quincy; his father, Fred A. Curls; and two brothers, Darwin Curls and Darrel Curls; two sisters, Janice Parker and Karen Curls; and a host of other family and friends: Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved that we, the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-fourth General Assembly, extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of the Honorable Phil B. Curls, Sr. on this sad occasion; and Be It Further Resolved that the Secretary of the Senate be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for the family of former Missouri Senator Phil B. Curls, Sr.
The resolution was adopted unanimously.
As long-time MASW advocates well remember, Phil Curls was a champion of those in need, and in many ways the father of the Missouri Housing Trust Fund. Phil Curls was also the Director of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus.

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