Frank Chopp

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Frank Chopp is the current Speaker of the House of the Washington House of Representatives, which is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature. He is a Democrat who represents the 43rd District, which covers the neighborhoods of Fremont, Wallingford, the University District and Madison Park, all in Seattle.

Born in Bremerton, Washington, Rep. Chopp was the longtime executive director of the Fremont Public Association (now known as Solid Ground) and currently is Solid Ground's President Emeritus. He was first elected to the House in 1994, and has been Speaker of the House since 2001. In the prior session of the Legislature, he was co-speaker of the House, as the Democrats and Republicans had equal numbers of members.

While still in high school in Bremerton, Chopp led a protest against the local Elks Club's refusal to allow black members. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1975, and while in college organized efforts to preserve low income housing in Seattle. He is married with two children.

[edit] Legislative priorities:

Security - "We all have the right to feel safe at home, work, school and in our communities."
Opportunity - "We must continue our investments in education, provide job retraining to get people back to work, and improve government services to create and expand a competitive climate that is friendly to both workers and business."
Transportation - "Dealing with traffic congestion, moving products to and from markets faster and more efficiently, and improving highway safety will create thousands of new jobs and build upon Washington’s economic strength."