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NIC INC. 2006 AMENDED AND RESTATED STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

Stock Option Agreement

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This Stock Option Agreement involves

NIC INC

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Title: NIC INC. 2006 AMENDED AND RESTATED STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN
Governing Law: Colorado     Date: 5/11/2009
Industry: Computer Services     Sector: Technology

NIC INC. 2006 AMENDED AND RESTATED STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN, Parties: nic inc
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Exhibit 10.2

 

NIC INC. 2006 AMENDED AND RESTATED

STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

 

As Amended May 5, 2009

 

ARTICLE I. PURPOSE.

 

A.            The purpose of the Plan is to provide a means by which selected Employees, Directors and Consultants of the Company, and its Affiliates, if any, may be given an opportunity to benefit from increases in value of the Common Stock of the Company through the grant of Options, Restricted Stock Awards or both.

 

B.            The Company, by means of the Plan, seeks to retain the services of persons who are now Employees or Directors of or Consultants to the Company or its Affiliates, to secure and retain the services of new Employees, Directors and Consultants, and to provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for the success of the Company and its Affiliates.

 

C.            All Options granted under the Plan shall be separately designated as Incentive Stock Options or Non-Qualified Stock Options at the time of grant, and in such form as issued pursuant to Article VI, and a separate certificate or certificates will be issued for shares purchased on exercise of each type of Option or granted pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award, which shall also be in such form as issued pursuant to Article VIII.

 

D.            The Plan is a 2006 amendment and restatement of the National Information Consortium, Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan, as adopted effective May 5, 1998 and amended November 3, 1998 and May 4, 1999, revised as of August 31, 1999 and amended and restated as of May 4, 2004. Any option granted under the National Information Consortium, Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan prior to the Plan’s effective date, as provided in Article XV, shall be subject to the terms of the National Information Consortium, Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan as they existed immediately prior to that effective date.

 

ARTICLE II. DEFINITIONS.

 

“Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

“Affiliate” means any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, whether now or hereafter existing, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) respectively, of the Code.

 

“Award” means either an Option or a Restricted Stock Award.

 

“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any Internal Revenue Code adopted in the future to replace the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

 

“Committee” means the Committee of Outside Directors appointed by the Board in accordance with subsection C of Article III to administer the Plan. For any purposes under this Plan, the Committee may be the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board.

 

“Common Stock” means shares of the Company’s common stock, no par value.

 



 

“Company” means NIC Inc., a Colorado corporation.

 

“Consultant” means any person, including an advisor, engaged by the Company or an Affiliate to render consulting services as an independent contractor and who is compensated for such services, provided that the term “Consultant” shall not include Directors who are paid only a director’s fee by the Company or who are not compensated by the Company for their services as Directors.

 

“Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant” means that the provision of services to the Company or an Affiliate in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or terminated. Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant shall not be considered interrupted in the case of (i) any approved leave of absence, (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or among the Company, any Affiliate, or any successor, in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, or (iii) any change in status as long as the person remains in the service of the Company, Affiliate or successor in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant (except as otherwise provided in the Option Agreement). An approved leave of absence shall include sick leave, military leave, or any other authorized personal leave approved by the Company; provided, however, that any such authorized leave of absence shall be treated as Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant for the purposes of vesting only to the extent as may be provided in the Company’s leave policy. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. The Board, in its sole discretion, shall in all cases determine whether Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant shall be considered interrupted or terminated.

 

“Covered Employee” means any person who, on the last day of the taxable year, is the chief executive officer (or is acting in such capacity) or is among the four most highly compensated officers (other than the chief executive officer) of the Company for whom total compensation is required to be reported to stockholders under the Exchange Act, as determined for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

“Director” means a member of the Board or of the board of directors of an Affiliate.

 

“Employee” means any person, including Officers and Directors, employed by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company as determined under the rules contained in Code Section 3401. Neither service as a Director nor payment of a director’s fee by the Company shall be sufficient by itself to constitute “employment” by the Company.

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

“Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of the Common Stock of the Company determined as follows:

 

(i)            If the Common Stock is readily tradable on an established securities market, the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of grant means the value determined based upon the last sale before or the first sale after the grant, the closing price on the trading day before or the trading day of the grant of the Award, or any other reasonable basis using actual transactions in the Common Stock as reported by such market and consistently applied.

 

(ii)           If the Common Stock is not readily tradable on an established securities market, the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of grant means the value determined by a valuation of the Common Stock determined by an independent appraisal that meets the requirements of Section 

 



 

401(a)(28)(C) of the Code and the regulations thereunder as of a date that is no more than 12 months before the relevant Option grant date.

 

“Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option (as set forth in the Option Agreement) and that qualifies as an Incentive Stock Option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

“Non-Qualified Stock Option” means an Option not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option (as set forth in the Option Agreement) or that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

“Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

“Option” means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.

 

“Option Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a Recipient evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Option grant. Each Option Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

“Outside Director” means a Director who (i) is not a current employee of the Company or an “affiliated corporation” (within the meaning of Treasury regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Code), (ii) is not a former employee of the Company or an “affiliated corporation” receiving compensation for prior services (other than benefits under a tax qualified pension plan) during the taxable year, (iii) has not been an officer of the Company or an “affiliated corporation” at any time, (iv) is not currently receiving direct or indirect remuneration (including any payment in exchange for goods or services) from the Company or an “affiliated corporation” in any capacity other than as a Director, (v) is otherwise considered an “outside director” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code, a “non-employee director” for purposes of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and an “independent director” for purposes of Rule 4350 of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.

 

“Plan” means this NIC Inc. 2006 Amended and Restated Stock Option and Incentive Plan.

 

“Purchase Price” is defined in Subsection C of Article VI.

 

“Recipient” means an Employee, Director or Consultant, or their transferees, who holds an outstanding Option or Restricted Stock Award.

 

“Restricted Stock” means Common Stock awarded to an Employee pursuant to Article VIII that is subject to certain restrictions and a substantial risk of forfeiture.

 

“Restricted Stock Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a Recipient evidencing the terms, conditions and restrictions of an individual Restricted Stock Award. Each Restricted Stock Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

“Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect when discretion is being exercised with respect to the Plan.

 

ARTICLE III. ADMINISTRATION.

 

A.            The Plan shall be administered by the Board unless and until the Board delegates administration to the Committee, as provided in subsection C of this Article III.

 



 

B.            The Board shall have the power, subject to, and within the limitations of, the express provisions of the Plan:

 

(i)            To determine, in its sole discretion, from time to time which of the persons eligible under the Plan shall be granted an Award; when and how each Award shall be granted; whether an Option granted will be an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option, or a combination of the foregoing; the provisions of each Award granted (which need not be identical), including the time or times when a person shall be permitted to receive stock pursuant to an Award; the number of shares with respect to which an Award shall be granted to each such person; and all other terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to each such Award or shares acquired upon exercise of an Option not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan.

 

(ii)           To approve one or more forms of Option Agreement and Restricted Stock Agreement.

 

(iii)          To construe and interpret, in its sole discretion, the Plan and Awards granted under it, and to establish, amend and revoke rules and regulations for its administration. The Board, in the exercise of this power, may correct any defect, omission or inconsistency in the Plan or in any Option Agreement, in a manner and to the extent it shall deem necessary or expedient to make the Plan fully effective.

 

(iv)          To amend, modify or otherwise change in any manner the Plan or an Award as provided in Article XIII and to suspend or terminate the Plan as provided in Article XIV.

 

(v)           Generally, to exercise such powers and to perform such acts as the Board deems necessary or expedient to promote the best interests of the Company that are not in conflict with the provisions of the Plan.

 

All decisions, determinations and interpretations of the Board shall be final, binding and conclusive on any Recipient and any other person with an interest in the Plan or in an Award and on any Affiliate.

 

C.            The Board may delegate administration of the Plan to a committee composed of not fewer than two (2) of its members, all of the members of which Committee shall be Outside Directors. The Committee may be the Board’s Compensation Committee. Furthermore, notwithstanding anything in this Article III to the contrary, the Board shall delegate administration of the Plan to the Committee for any grant of an Award to an eligible person who is a Covered Employee or who is expected to be a Covered Employee at the time of recognition of income resulting from such Award with respect to either of whom the Company wishes to avoid the application of Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

Notwithstanding anything in this Article III to the contrary, at any time the Board or the Committee may delegate to a committee of one or more members of the Board the authority to grant Awards to eligible persons who (i) are not then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act and (ii) are either (A) not then Covered Employees and are not expected to be Covered Employees at the time of recognition of income resulting from such Award, or (B) not persons with respect to whom the Company wishes to avoid the application of Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

In the event that any administration of the Plan is delegated to the Committee under this Article III, the Committee shall have, during such delegation and in connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the Board (and references in this Plan to the Board shall thereafter be to the committee), subject, however, to such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. The Board may abolish the Committee at

 



 

any time and, upon abolition administration of the Plan shall revert automatically, without any further action on the Board’s part, to the Board.

 

D.            Notwithstanding anything in this Article III to the contrary, at any time the Board may also delegate to any proper Officer the authority to grant Awards, without further approval of the Board, to eligible persons who (i) are not then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act and (ii) are either (A) not then Covered Employees and are not expected to be Covered Employees at the time of recognition of income resulting from such Award, or (B) not persons with respect to whom the Company wishes to avoid the application of Section 162(m) of the Code; provided, however, that (i) the exercise price per share of each Option Award shall be equal to the Fair Market Value of such stock at the date of grant, and (ii) each Option Award shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the standard form of Option Agreement approved by the Board and shall conform to the provisions of the Plan and such other guidelines as shall be established from time to time by the Board.

 

E.             No member of the Board or of any committee constituted under this Article III or any Officer acting pursuant to this Article shall be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Award.

 

ARTICLE IV. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.

 

A.            Subject to the provisions of Article XII relating to adjustments upon changes in stock, the amount of stock that may be issued pursuant to Awards shall not exceed in the aggregate fourteen million two hundred eighty-six thousand seven hundred fifty-four (14,286,754) shares of the Common Stock. If any Award shall for any reason expire or otherwise terminate, in whole or in part, without having been exercised in full, the shares not acquired underlying such Award shall revert to and again become available for issuance under the Plan.

 

B.            The Common Stock subject to the Plan may be unissued shares or reacquired shares, bought on the market or otherwise.

 

ARTICLE V. ELIGIBILITY.

 

A.            Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees. Non-Qualified Stock Options and Restricted Stock may be granted only to Employees, Directors or Consultants.

 

B.            No person shall be eligible for the grant of an Incentive Stock Option if, at the time of grant, such person owns (or is deemed to own pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company, or of any of its Affiliates (a “Ten Percent Stockholder”), unless the exercise price of such Option is at least one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of such stock at the date of grant and the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five (5) years from the date of grant.

 

C.            To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time of grant) of stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Recipient during any calendar year under all plans of the Company and its Affiliates exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), the Options or portions thereof which exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted) shall be treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options.

 

D.            Subject to the provisions of Article XII relating to adjustments upon changes in stock, no person shall be eligible to be granted Awards covering more than two hundred thousand (200,000) shares of the Common Stock in any calendar year.

 



 

ARTICLE VI. TERMS OF OPTIONS.

 

Each Option shall be evidenced by an Option Agreement in such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as the Board shall deem appropriate. No Option or purported Option shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a fully executed Option Agreement or by communicating with the Company in such manner as the Company may authorize. The provisions of separate Options need not be identical, but each Option shall include (through incorporation of provisions hereof or as specifically set forth in the Option Agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:

 

A.   &


 
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