40 Facts About Frank Chopp

Frank Vana Chopp was an American politician who was the 46th Speaker of the Washington House of Representatives from 1999 to 2019.

Frank Chopp was born on May 13,1953, in Bremerton, Washington.

Frank Chopp's father was a coal miner who moved to the shipyards and found employment as a union electrical worker and his mother, Anne, worked in a school cafeteria.

Frank Chopp attended East High School in Bremerton and graduated top of his class in 1971.

Frank Chopp was married to Nancy Long and they had two children.

Frank Chopp lived in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.

From 1976 to 1983, Frank Chopp held various managing and directorial positions for the Cascade Community Center, the Pike Market Senior Center, and the North Community Service Center before becoming executive director of the Fremont Public Association, now known as Solid Ground, in 1983.

Frank Chopp later served as the organization's president, and served as senior advisor since 2006.

Frank Chopp was involved with a number of groups, service agencies, and programs including the Coalition for Survival Services, King County Housing Opportunity Fund, Cascade Shelter Project, the Food Resources Network, the Workers Center, Lettuce Link, Community Voice Mail, the Sand Point Community Housing Association, PortJOBS, the Committee for Economic Opportunity, and the Low Income Housing Institute.

Frank Chopp co-founded the Seattle Tenant's Union in 1977 and was involved in efforts to organize three collective bargaining units for office workers, home care workers, and public transit drivers.

Frank Chopp served as House Minority Leader from 1997 to 1998.

Frank Chopp served as Speaker of the House from 2002 to 2019.

In 2003, Frank Chopp voted for an operating budget Democrats later condemned as the "Rossi budget" when its architect, Republican Senator Dino Rossi, ran for governor in 2004; most of Frank Chopp's House Democrats voted against the budget.

In 2006, Frank Chopp killed a bill requiring large employers like Wal-Mart to reimburse the state if they heavily relied upon state programs for employee health care.

Many fans of the former Seattle SuperSonics National Basketball Association franchise felt Frank Chopp was a roadblock to keeping the team.

Frank Chopp's action was condemned editorially by both the Seattle Times and the Post-Intelligencer.

In 2009, Frank Chopp killed a Worker Privacy Bill that Democrats had promised to support during their 2008 campaigns.

Frank Chopp helped co-found Washington's Housing Trust Fund, which has provided over $1 billion for low-income housing since its inception and created the Housing Security Fund, which helps pay for housing and support services for the homeless.

Frank Chopp designed the Home and Hope program, which repurposes unused public properties for affordable housing development.

In 2015, Frank Chopp passed legislation requiring Sound Transit to donate excess land around new light rail stations to non-profit affordable housing developers.

Frank Chopp co-organized the successful application, working with the Seattle-King County Health Department, for a Health Care for the Homeless Project from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as well as initiating a home care program.

Frank Chopp initiated health programs for the elderly, people with disabilities, and those infected with AIDS.

In 2019, Frank Chopp passed "Cascade Care," a public option for health insurance available to all Washington residents.

Frank Chopp was an early proponent of the Community Jobs program, which helps welfare recipients gain skills and employment through various community-based nonprofit organizations in Washington State.

Frank Chopp served as a founding board member of the Office of PortJOBS at the Port of Seattle.

Frank Chopp co-initiated and developed the Seattle Worker Center, which addresses the needs of dislocated and unemployed workers, through a Re-employment Support Center, the Trades Mentor Network, and Community Voice Mail sponsored by Harvard University and the Ford Foundation.

Frank Chopp was one of the founding members of the successful minimum wage increase initiative in SeaTac in 2013.

Frank Chopp led a coalition to increase Washington State's minimum wage to the highest level in the nation, which was the first time annual increases were tied to the cost of living.

Frank Chopp passed legislation requiring paid sick leave, expanding collective bargaining rights, and banning wage theft.

In 2014, Frank Chopp helped enact the DREAM Act, which provided access to college for students from immigrant families.

In 2015, Frank Chopp led efforts to invest over $1.3 billion in basic K-3 education as part of the first phase of addressing the McCleary decision.

In 2019, Frank Chopp led the passage of free college and university tuition through the Workforce Education Investment Act.

Frank Chopp was a proponent of taking action to address climate change.

Frank Chopp led efforts to reduce and ban toxic chemicals, cleaning up Washington's waterways, promoting renewable energy production, clean car standards and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and other important environmental issues.

Frank Chopp supported efforts for pay equity for women and initiatives that get more women in the workplace.

In 2018, Frank Chopp supported the Reproductive Parity Act to ban discrimination in reproductive care.

In 2012, Frank Chopp supported the Marriage Equality Act, as well as helping Washington state to be the first state to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

Frank Chopp supported gay rights legislation in the Washington State House in 2005 that ultimately failed in the Republican controlled State Senate by one vote.

Frank Chopp organized opposition to the original plan for the West Seattle Freeway in 1974, collecting over 20,000 signatures within a month to refer the issue to the voters.

Frank Chopp sponsored legislation to require Sound Transit to donate excess property around new light rail stations to non-profit affordable housing developers.