Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada called Tuesday for the state's brothel industry to be outlawed, saying Nevada's connection with prostitution harmed its image and could damage its ability to bring in investment.

"If we want to attract businesses to Nevada that puts people back to work, the time has come for us to outlaw prostitution," Mr. Reid told the Nevada state Legislature in Carson City.

Mr. Reid also said he had talked to "parents who don't want their children to look out of a school bus and see a brothel or to live in a state with the wrong kind of red lights."Mr. Reid maintains conservative Mormon values personally but has long tolerated Nevada's legal sin industries and is a powerful advocate for casino firms. In gatherings, he often tells audiences how his mother washed laundry for the brothel in Searchlight, the small town Mr. Reid grew up in outside Las Vegas.

Political observers said they believed his remarks were the first time he had spoken out on the topic. "This is a complete shock," said Barbara Brents, a professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has studied the state's prostitution industry and said she had discussed it with Mr. Reid.

As word of Mr. Reid's stance got out, brothel owners and prostitutes descended on Carson City to represent their cause. In Nevada, brothels are taxed legally in many rural counties, with taxes levied at the county level going toward local services, such as ambulances. But prostitution isn't allowed in Las Vegas or Reno, the state's two biggest cities, and isn't taxed or regulated by the state.