NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Jeff McCartney SC.GOV 803.771.0131 jeff.mccartney@portal.sc.gov Nat Kaminski South Carolina Comptroller General 803.734-2120 nkaminski@cg.sc.gov

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – March 5, 2008 – Want to know where state agencies spend your money? Now you can. A new online service offered through the state’s official Web site (http://www.SC.gov) provides state expenditure information that is easy to access and search.

"We've long believed that transparency is key to voters' ability to hold government accountable for the decisions it makes," said Governor Mark Sanford. "This new site is all about providing another tool for our citizens to have the maximum amount of information in terms of how their government operates and how their tax dollars are being spent. I want to thank the Comptroller General and the folks over at SC.gov for their work on this front.”

The Comptroller General, in partnership with SC.gov, is helping to foster a more open government by going above and beyond the requirements in the governor’s executive order. The executive order was issued last year and is aimed at increasing government accountability in spending and making government spending information more accessible to the public.

“I've been working to open the curtains on government spending since I came into office," sad Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom. "Taxpayers have a right to know how their tax money is being spent.”

Annual spending information for previous years and past and current monthly spending is available on the site. Fiscal year 2006 - 2007 is the first annual summary information to be posted. The information is organized by agency and expense type, and items listed on the Web site are grouped by major expense category. Monthly spending can be searched month-by-month or year-to-date, beginning with July 2007. Monthly detail information for travel, contract services and supplies for all agencies is available.

This information is provided for all state agencies that report detailed spending transactions under the Statewide Accounting and Reporting System (STARS). The site does not list employee salaries or other confidential or sensitive information.

About SC.gov
SC.gov is the official Web site of the state of South Carolina (http://www.SC.gov) and a collaborative effort between the state and South Carolina Interactive to Web-enable the state’s information services. SC.gov was built and is managed by South Carolina Interactive, a Columbia-based subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC that oversees the state’s official Web site under contract with the Budget and Control Board’s Division of the Chief Information Officer.

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 2,600 state and local agencies that serve more than 67 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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