Longtime Washington Democratic State Representative Frank Chopp died Saturday, March 22, 2024. He was 71.

Rep. Chopp has left an incredible legacy in state government as the longest-serving speaker of the House. First elected to represent Seattle’s 43rd Legislative District in 1994, Rep. Chopp led efforts to set up the state’s Housing Trust Fund and its Apple Health and Homes program, which uses Medicaid dollars to fund housing.

“Here in Washington, we actually work together and we get things done.”

^{– Former Rep. Chopp in a March 2019 interview with the University of Washington Magazine}

We at the Economic Opportunity Institute, along with so many others, mourn the loss of Rep. Chopp. He was instrumental in the work EOI has championed over the years, including Paid Family & Medical Leave — a landmark policy that provides up to 16 weeks of paid leave, or 18 if it includes a pregnancy complication, benefitting over 3.3 million workers. Rep. Chopp worked tirelessly to make historic gains in access to health care, funding for transit, investments in public education, and much much more.

He will be missed dearly.

A message from our founding Executive Director, John Burbank:

Frank Chopp was my friend. I first met Frank in 1983, when we both volunteered for Mike Lowry’s campaign for U.S. Senate. He welcomed me to Seattle, and we quickly found our mutual passion for progressive economic justice. Frank immediately understood the vision for the Economic Opportunity Institute — he provided a workplace for us, rounded up initial funding, and gave us the political credibility to move ideas and policy forward.

Frank and I didn’t always agree, in fact sometimes, we clashed, but he always respected me. I believe this is true for many of his colleagues, friends, and foes. He and I always found productive accommodation with each other and each other’s policy ideas over the years and decades. It is safe to say that without Frank, our state would not have the most progressive estate tax in the country. Without Frank, we would not have universal Paid Family & Medical Leave. Frank thought up the Apple Health acronym for Medicaid, replacing a stigma with a symbol for all Washingtonians.

Frank truly believed in a state in which everyone could thrive. He also understood and mastered the art of being Speaker of the House, balancing interests and policy stagnation and advancement, as well as the electoral ramifications for certain legislative movements. Frank seemed to know uncannily when to push forward and when to hold back.

Frank was tireless as Speaker and as a political strategist. Thanks to him, the Democrats have been a majority in the House for more than two decades. He was Speaker for three Governors, educating them as much as they tried to educate him.

Frank never slowed down. Even as Speaker Emeritus, and in the last few months as a retired legislator, Frank was still pushing, especially for housing and for overcoming the legacy of racism that prevented Black families from gaining household generational wealth. Frank endorsed Proposition 1A, which is now funding Seattle’s social housing initiative with a corporate excessive compensation tax. I last saw Frank at the celebration for the Proposition 1A victory.

Frank’s was a watershed endorsement for Proposition 1A, creating the momentum for an overwhelming victory. That may have been one of Frank’s last catalytic public actions for creating a thriving metropolis. That is how I remember Frank – his unrelenting advocacy to enable poor and working-class people to thrive in our state. Thank you, Frank. We will miss you in every one of our days.

A message from our Executive Director, Rian Watt:

Frank Chopp leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Thousands of people’s lives were changed because of his. I am grateful to have had the chance to collaborate with him over the years and will miss his mentorship of me and so many others.