An Urbana lawmaker says her late son would be proud that she returned to the Capitol to vote for same-sex marriage in his last hours. Garret Jakobsson, the 46-year-old son of Democratic state Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, died Tuesday evening after suffering from Pick's Disease. He had been in hospice care.
Jakobsson rushed back to Springfield Tuesday afternoon to vote for the same-sex marriage bill, which she had co-sponsored. It ultimately passed the House with one vote to spare.
Jakobsson released a statement noting that ``equal protection under the law'' was important to her entire family. She says she felt she could not miss the vote and knows her son was proud of her decision.
House members paid tribute to the Jakobsson family in a moment of silence.