Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) signed on to the Puerto Rico Status Act this week, The Hill has learned, becoming the 100th sponsor of the bill.
The legislation would authorize a federally sponsored plebiscite for Puerto Ricans to resolve its political status, with a choice of independence, statehood, or sovereignty in free association with the United States. Companion legislation in the Senate has support from 27 senators.
Mills’s addition to the legislation comes as the island territory has been thrust into the center of controversy in the height of election season after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at former President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.
But Mills’s office said that his decision to join the bill was unrelated to the recent controversy, and that he was considering joining before the comedian’s comments.
“I am honored to support the Puerto Rico Status Act as the 100th co-sponsor of HR 2757, which upholds the right of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico to participate in a self-determination process,” Mills told The Hill in a statement. “This legislation is a significant step forward, authorizing a federally sponsored plebiscite that gives Puerto Ricans the choice between independence, sovereignty in free association with the United States, or statehood.”