Democrats in the Kansas House are using a procedural move that could force a debate Tuesday on proposals to exempt public hospitals, mental health facilities and college campuses from having to allow people to carry concealed weapons in those places starting July 1.

House Democratic Leader Jim Ward invoked a procedure Monday that, if successful, would bring House Bill 2042 up for debate as the first item of business on Tuesday.

The bill itself has nothing to do with exceptions to the state’s concealed-carry law. Rather, it would reinstate a “reciprocity” law in Kansas that says Kansas will recognize valid concealed-carry permits issued by other states, as long as those states recognize Kansas permits.

The law was repealed a few years ago when Kansas stopped requiring individuals to have permits to carry concealed firearms, although the state does still issue them to people who are qualified and request one. But Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking to reinstate the law, primarily so Kansans who want to carry their weapons in other states can use their Kansas permits to do so.

The bill passed out of the Federal and State Affairs Committee on March 16. House GOP leaders, however, haven’t brought that bill up for debate by the full House, in part because they know it is open to amendments, as long as those amendments deal with the same general subject of concealed-carry requirements.

Gun rights advocates hold a narrow majority on the Federal and State Affairs Committee, which so far has rejected bills that would exempt higher education campuses and public health care facilities from the concealed-carry requirement. But advocates of exempting those institutions believe they have a solid majority in support of those exemptions within the full House.

Under one of the rules of the House, any member may offer a motion, which Ward did on Monday, to advance a bill to the top of the debate calendar. The House must vote on that motion the following day, and if it receives at least 70 votes in the 125-seat chamber, that bill becomes the first item of business when the House begins debating bills that day.

In 2013, the Legislature passed a bill requiring virtually all public buildings in Kansas to allow people to carry concealed firearms unless the governing body that owns the building provides adequate security, such as metal detectors and armed security guards, to make sure nobody can bring weapons into those facilities.

The law applies to all city, county and state public buildings, but it does not apply to K-12 public schools. It does, however, include municipally owned facilities such as Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. It also applies to the University of Kansas hospital in Kansas City, Kan., which is operated by the KU Hospital Authority and is co-located in the same buildings as KU’s medical school.

Cities, counties and higher education institutions were given four years to come into compliance with that law. That four-year grace period expires on June 30.