Speaker Frank Chopp

WHEREAS, Frank Chopp was born in East Bremerton, the grandson of 1
Croatian immigrants who came to the State of Washington in search of 2
a better life; and 3
WHEREAS, Frank's father went to work in the Roslyn coal mines at 4
age 12, was an IBEW union electrician at the Puget Sound Naval 5
Shipyard, and his mother was a school cafeteria worker; and6
WHEREAS, His politically active parents encouraged their children 7
into public service and taught them to show respect to all people, 8
leading Frank to protest against a local fraternal organization that 9
excluded people of color when he was a student at East Bremerton High 10
School; and 11
WHEREAS, During and after graduating from the University of 12
Washington, Frank honed his passion for improving the lives of people 13
by serving as a manager of the "little city hall" in Fremont, 14
director of the Pike Market Senior Center, and as a community 15
organizer on housing, transportation, and other issues; and16
WHEREAS, Frank became the executive director of the Fremont 17
Public Association (now Solid Ground) and developed food, shelter, 18
housing, home care, legal services, paratransit, arts, and employment 19
programs, and collaborated with other community leaders to secure 20
Magnuson Park for low-income housing and create the Low Income 21
Housing Institute, Survival Services Coalition, Seattle Tenants 22
Union, and many more community programs; and 23
SENATE RESOLUTION
8656
By Senators Pedersen, Robinson, Riccelli, Alvarado, Chapman, Bateman, Hasegawa,
Stanford, Hansen, Valdez, Shewmake, Conway, Boehnke, Liias, Slatter, Orwall, Ramos,
Warnick, Frame, Holy, Gildon, McCune, Fortunato, King, MacEwen, Harris, Short,
Goehner, Christian, Braun, Lovick, Trudeau, Kauffman, Wagoner, and C. Wilson
p. 1 8656
WHEREAS, In 1994, Frank's dedication to public service 1
resulted in his running for and being elected as State 2
Representative from the 43rd Legislative District in Seattle; 3
and 4
WHEREAS, Frank quickly rose to leadership, serving as House 5
Minority Leader from 1997-1998, and as Co-Speaker from 1999-2001 6
when the House was split evenly between Democrats and 7
Republicans; and 8
WHEREAS, Frank served as Speaker of the House for 20 years 9
and was the longest-serving Speaker in the history of the State 10
of Washington; and 11
WHEREAS, Frank created, initiated, or presided over an 12
astounding list of accomplishments that changed the lives of 13
families, encouraged by the love and support of his wife Nancy, 14
and children Narayan and Ellie; and 15
WHEREAS, Frank believed that every person deserved a home, 16
access to health care and healthy food, educational and economic 17
opportunity, and to be treated with respect, a vision he never 18
stopped fighting for; and 19
WHEREAS, Frank's determined advocacy to improve housing 20
access led to the creation of thousands of public and nonprofit 21
owned homes and shelter programs including groundbreaking 22
successes such as co-founding the Housing Trust Fund, the 23
Homeless Housing and Assistance Act, and the Apple Health and 24
Homes Act; and 25
WHEREAS, A small sample of Frank's policy legacy includes: 26
An inflation-adjusted minimum wage; paid family and medical 27
leave; Marriage Equality; the Dream Act; the Voting Rights Act; 28
the Long-term Care Trust Act; the Education Legacy Trust Fund; 29
the College Bound Scholarship Program; Apple Health for All 30
Kids; and his staunch defense of the programs that make up the 31
state's social safety net; and 32
WHEREAS, Frank never sought credit for legislative 33
accomplishments, instead preferring to give credit to others for 34
their hard work and good ideas; and 35
WHEREAS, Frank focused on common sense solutions and was a 36
strong proponent of the idea of Working Together for One 37
Washington, believing that the Legislature should serve all 38
p. 2 8656
Washingtonians regardless of where they live or their political 1
views; and 2
WHEREAS, When he passed away suddenly on March 22, 2025, at 3
age 71, Frank was still getting up every day to do what he 4
loved, encouraging people to find ways they could serve others, 5
and advocating for a better future for all; and 6
WHEREAS, Frank's tireless work benefited many millions of 7
Washingtonians, and his legacy will continue to benefit millions 8
more in the generations to come; 9
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State 10
Senate honor Speaker Frank Chopp, his dedication and service to 11
the citizens of Washington State, and the example he set for 12
carefully crafted policy solutions, organizing to win and 13
sustain progress, treating people with kindness and respect, and 14
the lasting legacy he leaves behind; and 15
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate 16
extend our deepest condolences to Nancy, Narayan, and Ellie, and 17
give our thanks to them for sharing Frank with us for all these 18
years. 19
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate, 20
do hereby certify that this is a true and 21
correct copy of Senate Resolution 8656, 22
adopted by the Senate 23
April 24, 2025 24
SARAH BANNISTER 25
Secretary of the Senate 26
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