NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Chris Neff 435-645-8898 cneff@nicusa.com Lee K. Tompkins Kentucky.gov Director of Marketing 502-875-3733 lee@nicusa.com

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FRANKFORT, Ky. - September 15, 2003 - Citizens and businesses in Kentucky have a new place to interact with state government. This week, the Commonwealth of Kentucky relaunched its official Web site at www.Kentucky.gov. The new Kentucky.gov includes a fresh design and new features to enhance customer service. As with Kentucky's previous Web portal, Kentucky.gov offers easy-to-use electronic government services that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Kentucky.gov is providing the people of Kentucky with convenient, efficient, and cost-effective access to government services and information," said Aldona K. Valicenti, Kentucky's Chief Information Officer. "Our goal is to deliver government through the Internet, giving visitors another channel to reach the Commonwealth. For most citizens, dropping by a state office building isn't always convenient. Kentucky.gov will help visitors interact with government all day, everyday, not just during office hours."

The Kentucky.gov portal was designed to showcase information about Kentucky and the Commonwealth's government services in a way that eliminates organizational layers and reduces the complexity of government. Serving as the central location for the state's online data and services, the portal endured rigorous testing to ensure users could find desired information quickly, easily, and securely.

Kentucky.gov now offers several new features that simplify access to Kentucky's eGovernment services and provide a streamlined and consistent look & feel throughout the portal, including:

Live Online Customer Service - Dedicated online Live Support provides assistance in real-time, answers visitor questions, and enhances the support experience for users by offering immediate customer service.

State Government News Room - Kentucky state agency news releases will be available in the News Room, and government entities may post press releases that can be automatically distributed to search engines, other government agency Web sites, and e-mail lists.

Google Search Technology - The Kentucky.gov site uses Google, the nation's leading search engine technology to search content and services on the site.

Kentucky Calendar of Events - A statewide events calendar integrates the Governor's Public Schedule and State Parks & Tourism events with other government activities such as public meetings, tax deadlines, game & fish seasons, and state holidays.

Kentucky.gov will continue to add new online services in the future, including professional licensing applications, legislative bill tracking, and personalization features.

"As Kentucky.gov matures it is the goal of the Commonwealth that citizens and businesses will be able to access the information they need without knowing how state government is organized and that they will no longer need to know which government cabinet or specific agency provides a particular service," continued Valicenti. "The here and now, as well as the future of Kentucky.gov, is that information should be found with the easy-to-use search function and intention-based navigation."

"Kentucky.gov is designed to make communication with government quicker and more convenient for residents and businesses throughout Kentucky," said Scott D. Somerhalder, general manager of Kentucky.gov. "This launch is just the first step towards allowing citizens to be only a few 'clicks,' instead of many miles, away from government information and services."

About Kentucky.gov
Kentucky.gov is the official Web site of the Commonwealth of Kentucky (www.Kentucky.gov) and a collaborative effort between the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Kentucky Interactive, Inc., that helps Kentucky government entities Web-enable their information services. Kentucky.gov was built and is marketed, operated, and maintained by Kentucky Interactive, Inc., a Frankfort-based subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).

About NIC
NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 1,400 state and local agencies that serve more than 71 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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