Frank Chopp

Biography

Frank Chopp was born on May 13, 1953 in Bremerton, Washington. His 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. He attended East High School in Bremerton and graduated top of his class in 1971. While still in high school, Chopp led a protest against the Elks Club's refusal to allow black members. He later attended the University of Washington, graduating magna cum laude in 1975. As a student at the University of Washington, he organized efforts to preserve low-income housing in Seattle. To protest the demolition of low-incoming housing, Chopp lived in a geodesic dome situated in a parking lot in South Lake Union.

He is married to Nancy Long and has two children. He lives in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.

Early career

After graduating from the University of Washington, Chopp began his career as a community organizer focused on social services and education. From 1976-1983, 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. As executive director of the FPA, Chopp promoted services such as an emergency food bank, a clothing bank, and an employment program. Chopp later served as the organization's president, and has served as senioraAdvisor since 2006.

Chopp has been 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.

From 1992-1995, he held a part-time lecturer position at the University of Washington Graduate School of Public Affairs. Since 1972, Chopp has served on over twenty nonprofit boards.

Politics

Chopp was first elected to the House in 1994. He served as House Minority Leader from 1997-1998. In 1999-2001, Democrats and Republicans split the House and Chopp served as Co-Speaker in the 1999-2001 legislative sessions alongside Clyde Ballard. Chopp has served as Speaker of the House since 2002.

Issues

In 2003 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 Chopp's House Democrats voted against the budget.

In 2006, 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 Chopp was a roadblock to keeping the team. Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Art Thiel stated "Sonics fans have come to know Chopp, D-Death Star, as the No. 1 legislative opponent of public help to keep the team in Seattle." New owners bought out the Seattle lease and moved the team to Oklahoma City before the 2008-09 season, where the team now plays as the Thunder.

In 2008, the Democratic Senate passed a bill, 27-20, giving Washington consumers statutory warranty rights in purchasing new homes. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee before being denied a House floor vote by Chopp. The same thing had happened in 2007. Chopp's action was condemned editorially by both the Seattle Times and the Post-Intelligencer (then a print newspaper). In awarding Chopp a "Schrammie," Ken Schramm of KOMO News stated: "For the second year in a row, the Great and Mighty Speaker has had his way in killing a bill that would've provided homeowners with protection against shoddy construction." The Post-Intelligencer asked,"Why is Democratic House Speaker Frank Chopp yet again killing a bill that would protect this state's homeowners from being on the hook for shoddy construction? It doesn't look good that Chopp has friends at the Building Industry Association of Washington, the bill's main opponent (BIAW executive VP Tom McCabe said he'd love to see Chopp run for governor)."

In 2009 Chopp killed a Worker Privacy Bill that Democrats had promised to support during their 2008 campaigns. After a labor lobbyist warned some friends that organized labor might withhold support from Democrats, Chopp tried to have the lobbyist arrested by the Washington State Patrol; however, the Patrol exonerated the lobbyist.

By the 2017 legislative session, a faltering Chopp again faced the prospect of losing a state budget battle to Senate Republicans, as he had every session since 2003 in which Republicans were in control. On the eve of the June 30 vote to avert a state shutdown Chopp refused to make his budget compromise public.

Housing

Prior to being elected, Chopp helped lead the campaign to approve a $50 million Low-Income Housing Levy and a $25 million Seattle Art Museum Levy. Chopp has also initiated and organized efforts to create the Low Income Housing Institute; the Seattle Tenants Union; the King County Housing Opportunity Fund, which was the first King County allocated its own local tax dollars to provide low-income housing; the Sand Point Community Housing Project; the Broadway Emergency Shelter and the Family Shelter Program; the Cascade Shelter Project; and expanded the Housing Counseling Program, which assists low-income people who face eviction or foreclosure.

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

Healthcare

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

In the 2007 legislative session, Chopp helped create Apple Health For Kids, which now covers over 800,000 young people in Washington State. Chopp also implemented Medicaid Expansion in Washington State. He led efforts to help enact mental health parity, which Chopp cites as "the proudest moment of my service in the Legislature." Chopp also helped save and reform the Disability Lifeline program, which provides services for people with disabilities.

Economy

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. Chopp served as a founding board member of the Office of PortJOBS at the Port of Seattle. In this role, he initiated the Committee for Economic Opportunity, which developed partnerships with the Port of Seattle, businesses, labor unions, and educational institutions. Chopp also 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 (which won a national award for Innovations in State and Local Governments, sponsored by Harvard University and the Ford Foundation.

Chopp was one of the founding members of the successful minimum wage increase initiative in SeaTac in 2013. He also 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. Chopp has also passed legislation requiring paid sick leave, expanding collective bargaining rights, and banning wage theft.

Education

In 2015, he 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 2005, Chopp created the Education Legacy Trust Fund, which supports "expanding access to higher education through funding for new enrollments and financial aid, and other educational improvement efforts." Chopp led efforts to expand the Opportunity Grant program and Opportunity Scholarship Fund to make college more affordable for students. In the 2015-17 budget, Chopp passed a tuition freeze, as well as lowering tuition costs. In 2014, Chopp helped enact the DREAM Act, which provided access to college for students from immigrant families.

Environment

Chopp is a proponent of taking action to address climate change. He has led efforts in reducing and banning toxic chemicals, cleaning up Washington’s waterways, promoting renewable energy production, clean car standards and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and other important environmental issues.

Women's issues

Chopp is a pro-choice proponent. As Speaker, he passed the Reproductive Parity Act, which guaranteed health coverage for a woman's right to seek an abortion. Chopp has supported efforts for pay equity for women and initiatives that get more women in the workplace.

LGBT issues

In 2012, Chopp passed the Marriage Equality Act into law, as well as helping Washington state to be the first state to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Chopp also passed gay rights legislation in the Washington State House in 2005 that ultimately failed in the Republican controlled State Senate by one vote.

Transportation

During Chopp's tenure at the Fremont Public Association, he co-initiated and oversaw the operation of Seattle Personal Transit, which provides transportation for low-income elderly and people with disabilities. Chopp also 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.

As Speaker, Chopp passed legislation for the 2015 Connecting Washington funding package.