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. &