DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 50 Iowa sex offenders have permits to carry guns in public thanks to a two-year-old law that makes it harder for sheriffs to deny permits. The Des Moines Register reports law enforcement officials and some state lawmakers are worried about armed sex offenders. Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar says he worries about sex offenders having guns because many of them use intimidation to get what they want and a gun could help that.

Most of the sex offenders who have obtained gun permits in Iowa were convicted of misdemeanors like lascivious conduct with a minor. Ronald Hahn Jr. says he doesn’t pose a threat to public safety and he uses guns for hunting, so why should his indecent exposure conviction keep him from getting a gun permit?

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Boxes were stacked in the corner of the Iowa Senate chambers on Thursday, but lawmakers are nowhere near ready to pack up. Still, the legislative session will look different starting Monday. May 3 was the last day for much of the temporary staff and the student pages who work in the Legislature, as well as the final day of expense payments for lawmakers.

Most of the 150 legislators will report to work early next week. But if negotiations drag out then numbers will likely dwindle to a smaller group of party leaders and those working on negotiating committees. The Republicans who control the House and Democrats who rule the Senate are still trying to find resolution on major issues like education funding, property tax reductions and low-income health care.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied a final funding request from the University of Iowa to help replace its flood-damaged museum. The Museum of Art’s lower level mechanical and electrical systems were damaged during the Iowa City’s 2008 flood. Officials estimate there’s about $4 million worth of damage.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge will review a recording of a Des Moines school board meeting about a former superintendent to determine if the meeting was illegally closed. The board had invoked a law that says meetings can be closed to evaluate the competency of an individual to prevent injury to that person’s reputation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man accused of shooting a Sioux City police officer has been captured in Texas. Jamal Dean was arrested without incident during a traffic stop in Riviera, Texas. Police believe he was headed to the border between the United States and Mexico.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Nearly 200 people have attended the funeral of one of two abducted Iowa cousins whose remains were later found. Elizabeth Collins was laid to rest in a wooden casket inside a burial vault painted pink. Elizabeth’s mother, Heather Collins, says the service offers closure for her daughter’s three siblings.