Leary of further legitimizing prostitution, a Senate panel exempted brothels from a proposed adult-entertainment tax Wednesday.

A similar measure being considered in the Assembly also looks unlikely to succeed.

In a 4-3 vote, the Senate Taxation Committee voted to pass Senate Bill 247, which reworks the live-entertainment tax to include strip clubs and to exclude restaurants and sporting events.

The committee voted to preserve the strip-club tax.

Sen. John Lee, D-Las Vegas, insisted on excluding brothels.

�Looking for a carve out, not to whack Mr. (George) Flint at all, but so as not to encourage us to do more things that would legalize them within our state,� Lee said.

Flint, a lobbyist for the brothel industry, had urged the panel to tax prostitution.

Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, who voted against the exemption, was incredulous.

�Now, we are a state that permits prostitution and it�s going to be said that the Nevada Legislature even voted down a motion to tax them,� he said.

Sen. Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora, and Sen. Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, also voted against exempting brothels. Lee, Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, and Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, voted in favor of the exemption.

In order to exempt brothels, the Legislature will have to specifically state that prostitution is not live adult entertainment.

Assembly Bill 317, which also proposes a state brothel tax, is still pending in the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee. To stay alive, the committee would have to vote on it today.

�I don�t know that it�s going to come to a vote,� said Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson.

If a brothel tax does make it out of the Legislature, Gov. Kenny Guinn said Wednesday that he would veto the bill.

�He feels this is not only a local government issue but his support would be an affirmation of this industry,� said Greg Bortolin, Guinn�s press secretary.