2008-10-10 22:54:01 -

www.SC.gov - South Carolina is the second-most improved state in access to campaign finance records, according to an annual survey released last week by the Campaign Disclosure Project, a consortium of groups backed by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

South Carolina scored a Most Improved award in the 2008 Grading State Disclosure report. The award was

credited largely to the state mandate requiring that legislative candidates file their campaign disclosure reports online for the first time this year.

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 (www.SC.gov). The solution earned the state an A+ and a top ranking in the electronic filing program category among all states, compared with 27th place and a C grade in 2007. 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, sort and download results.

South Carolina was the third most improved state in the accessibility category since 2003. Since the 2007 assessment, legislative candidates' disclosure reports were posted online for the first time and the Ethics Commission debuted an online, searchable database of campaign expenditures.

According to Herbert Hayden, executive director of the State Ethics Commission, some of the survey's requirements do not reflect state-specific requirements, such as the structure of the campaign reporting law which is determined by the Legislature. "South Carolina's online system contains exactly what the Commission and the Legislature asked for and exactly what is required by South Carolina law."

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 (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 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 2,900 state and local agencies that serve more than 70 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

SC.gov
Jeff McCartney, 803-771-0131
jeff.mccartney@portal.sc.gov