Rhode Island to Utilize Twitter to Broadcast Daily Cash Flow on a Real-Time Basis

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio has announced that the Office of the Rhode Island General Treasurer will now use Twitter to broadcast the State’s cash flow on a real-time, daily basis.

Cash flow is a measure of Rhode Island's financial health. Each day's publication or "tweet" will highlight the gross revenues and expenditures of the General Fund. "In layman's terms, what money the state takes in and what money is paid out," explained Treasurer Caprio.

"When I took office I promised to make government more transparent and accountable through the use of new technology," said Treasurer Caprio.

Rhode Island’s revenues and expenditures can also be viewed online at www.ri.gov/opengovernment/treasury, which is updated weekly. At this site, taxpayers can view all of Treasury's spending from office supplies to salaries. This Online Checkbook was developed at no cost to taxpayers through RI.gov's unique self-funded partnership with the state.

The Online Checkbook and the daily cash flow tweets are part of Treasurer Caprio’s commitment to open government.

"As we look forward, it's important that government find innovative ways to use existing technology to communicate with the public and increase government transparency. Utilizing Twitter is the next step," Caprio said.

Those interested in signing up for the daily Rhode Island cash flow tweet can do so by visiting the RI Treasury web site: www.treasury.ri.gov and clicking on Twitter or by searching Rhode Island Treasury from their own account and clicking the "follow" button.

"As our State's fiscal crisis escalates, our legislature must make the difficult choices to balance our budget. I hope that this latest effort will serve as a daily reminder to how urgently we need action," said General Treasurer Caprio.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.

People write short updates, often called "tweets," of 140 characters or fewer. These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.

About RI.gov

http://www.RI.gov is Rhode Island's homepage and official Web site, a collaborative effort between the state of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Interactive. RI.gov site and services are developed and maintained by Rhode Island Interactive, a Providence-based, wholly owned subsidiary of the eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ:EGOV).

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 http://www.nicusa.com.