NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Carrie Gott Maine.gov (207) 621-2600 x32 carrie@informe.org

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AUGUSTA, Maine - August 13, 2004 - Already ranked second in the nation for best government Web site in 2003 by the Center for Digital Government, Maine.gov (www.Maine.gov) recently introduced several new online services to deliver enhanced convenience to businesses and citizens when interacting with their state and local government.

"Maine continues to be a leader in delivering eGovernment services to citizens, businesses, and visitors to the state," said Governor John E. Baldacci. "I'm proud our state is a national leader when it comes to electronic service delivery."

The Maine.gov Web site offers more than 300 online services to citizens and businesses, including the new Rapid Renewal driver's license and state ID renewal and replacement service, Public Criminal History record searches, the Business Answers online business start up assistant, and a Sportsmen Suite of more than 50 hunting and fishing license services.

"The availability of online services is transforming the relationship citizens enjoy with government," said Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky. "It's providing unprecedented access and convenience, and opening up new avenues for participation in civic life. eGovernment holds great promise for enhancing customer service and strengthening democracy."

To keep up with the changing needs and expectations of citizens and in response to specific user feedback, Maine.gov has been updated with a fresh look and layout, as well as the addition of two new categories: the local government portal and the eDemocracy portal.

• Local government content and services from more than 500 municipalities are now available through a single Web page. From the Maine.gov local portal page, citizens can access a variety of services, including how to find local officials, contact information, and descriptions of cities and towns.
• eDemocracy content and services from across a variety of government resources are also available through a single Web page. From the Maine.gov eDemocracy page, citizens and residents have easy and convenient way to access democratic services such as election calendars and notifications, voter registration change of address forms and absentee ballot applications, democracy learning tools for students and educators, and interactive communication tools for citizens to interact with elected officials.

Maine.gov offers more than 500 agency Web pages filled with the information citizens need. The portal also allows for repeat visitors to personalize their services by setting home page links and creating automatic reminders to be sent via e-mail or a Web browser.

"This is the fourth upgrade to the state's Web site in four years," explains Dick Thompson, Chief Information Officer. "Customer service is at the heart of what we do."

About Maine.gov
Maine.gov is the official Web site of the state of Maine (www.Maine.gov) and a service of the Information Resource of Maine (InforME). InforME is a collaborative effort between the state of Maine and New England Interactive, LLC, which helps Maine government entities Web-enable their information services. Maine.gov was built and is marketed, operated, and maintained by New England Interactive, a wholly owned 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 1,500 state and local agencies that serve more than 51 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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