City may delete prostitution law

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 | 9:49 a.m.

The Henderson City Council may get rid of the city's ban on prostitution later this month.

The council is expected to vote on March 18 on a measure that would erase the city's prostitution laws, but the vote wouldn't legalize prostitution in Henderson.

Ronald Sailon, an assistant city attorney, said he is recommending the change because the city law is not necessary. State law would keep prostitution illegal in Henderson and better addresses the crime, he said. Also, the city has an ongoing practice of working to remove unnecessary laws from the city code book, he said.

"We've got a big fat ordinance book. Why fill it up with (unnecessary laws)?" Sailon said. "We've had a conscious effort over the years to get rid of things that are unnecessary and serve no purpose."

The recommended changes would take almost two pages out of the roughly 6-inch-thick code book, he said.

The prostitution section of the City Code came to Sailon's attention because those laws are in the same chapter of the code as a city law against annoying or molesting minors. Sailon reviewed that law after the Nevada Supreme Court struck down a similar state law in December.

The court ruled against the law because it was too vague and did not define annoy or molest, Sailon said.

Sailon recommended adding definitions for the two terms. Molestation would be defined as sexual abuse or sexual exploitation and annoyance would be defined as a threat to a minor's safety.

The laws against annoying and molesting minors and the city's prostitution laws are in the chapter of the City Code titled "Prostitution and Indecent Conduct." Violations of the laws listed in that chapter are misdemeanors.

The council voted 4-0 on Tuesday to refer the proposed changes to their March 18 meeting.