NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Jeff McCartney SC.gov 803-771-0131 jeff@portal.sc.gov Herbert R. Hayden, Jr. SC State Ethics Commission 803-253-4192

COLUMBIA, S.C. – January 8, 2009 – Lobbyists and Lobbyist’s Principals in South Carolina can now register their 2009 lobbying relationships electronically. Beginning with the June 30, 2009 disclosure report, Lobbyists and Lobbyist’s Principals will be able to file their disclosure reports online as well. The system is available 24/7 and information is available to the public as soon as reports are filed. The reports available at SC.gov provide information on lobbying relationships, offices lobbied, subject matters lobbied, contributions and expenditures for lobbying activity as well as lobbyist and lobbyist’s principals’ lists.

The electronic filing program is administered by the State Ethics Commission and was built in partnership with the official Web site of the state of South Carolina (http://www.SC.gov). The solution earned the state an A+ and a top ranking in the electronic filing program category among all states.

Campaign finance reports are available through SC.gov and show the public what individuals and interests donate to candidates and how the candidates spend that money. Users can search by individual or committee/organization names, contributions and expenditures, and sort and download results. This application improves government transparency by making the information immediately available to the public to query, view, download and print.

About SC State Ethics Commission
The State Ethics Commission was created in 1975 with responsibilities for financial disclosure, campaign disclosure, and ethical rules of conduct. In 1990 and 1991, Operation Lost Trust gave impetus for a new statute, the Ethics Reform Act of 1991. That Act expanded the size of the Commission and gave it additional responsibilities to include lobbyist registration and disclosure, financial disclosure, campaign practices, and ethical rules of conduct.

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 (NASDAQ: EGOV) and private sector partner that manages the state’s official Web site under contract with the Budget and Control Board’s Division of State Information Technology.

About NIC
NIC is the nation’s leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company’s innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 2,900 federal, state, and local agencies that serve more than 70 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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