The omnibus spending passed by Congress and signed Friday by President Barack Obama includes money for a referendum to decide if Puerto Ricans support becoming America's 51st state.

The $1.1 trillion bill includes $2.5 million for Puerto Rico to vote on its political status. The money was requested by Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner, Pedro Pierluisi, D, a non-voting member of Congress who is associated with Puerto Rico's pro-statehood party. Puerto Rico's Governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, is associated with a party that doesn't support statehood but would prefer a commonwealth status that would allow the country to conduct its own foreign affairs.

The money set aside by Congress would allow for a vote on statehood, independence or nationhood only, according to the Puerto Rico report.

The exact language that will be included on the ballot hasn't been determined, but Rep. Jose Serrano, D-NY, who represents a district with a large Puerto Rican population, said the inclusion of the money for the referendum was significant.

"This is an historic moment," Serrano told The Hill. "For the first time in 116 years, both houses of Congress have asked Puerto Rico to go ahead and vote on its status."

No deadline has been set for Puerto Rico's 3.7 million residents to vote, and even if it is approved there, Congress would still have to OK adding a 51st state. Recent efforts in Puerto Rico have shown most there favor statehood, with 61 percent of voters in a 2012 referendum supporting the change.

Currently, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens but do not pay income taxes on local earnings, the Hill reports. Puerto Rico has been a territory of the U.S. since 1898 but does not have voting representation in Congress.