Chapman served on the House Appropriations Committee, working on numerous projects including restoration and development of an Army Corps of Engineers-maintained East Texas lake called Cooper Lake, located between Cooper and Sulphur Springs. In honor of his work, Congress later enacted legislation formally renaming the lake as "Jim Chapman Lake." Prior to his service on the Appropriations Committee, he served on the Public Works and Transportation Committee; Small Business Committee; and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Chapman gained notoriety during the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal when it was revealed in the Starr Report that President Clinton was receiving fellatio from Monica Lewinsky while on the phone with Chapman on November 15, 1995 between 9:25pm and 9:30pm.