Nevada secretary of state using Internet to reach citizens

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000 | 9:24 a.m.

That experience in the dark ages of computers made Dean Heller a believer. Now he's state government's leading advocate of e-commerce and use of the Internet to make government more accessible to citizens.

By year's end, he envisions increasing business in his office by as much as 25 percent by letting people set up their corporations on his office's Internet site.

Incorporating companies is the primary revenue-generating business of the secretary of state's office. About 48,000 companies used office services last year - at a minimum of $125 each - to create Nevada corporations. They kicked in most of the $33 million a year that the secretary of state's office sends to the state treasury.

Heller claims his is the first secretary of state's office in the nation to let companies incorporate online. He hopes that'll help Nevada move up a couple of places in the battle to replace Delaware as the incorporation capital of the United States.

It now takes seven to 10 days generally to incorporate a company in Nevada by mailing in necessary forms. The convenience of online filing will make Nevada a hit with lawyers and companies that specialize in helping prospective companies incorporate, Heller says.

With its 48,000 incorporations last year, the state ranked No. 8 among in incorporation totals.

"Online filing will change this office," he said. "We will increase the amount of business of this office by 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent because of the ease which the Internet offers."

He called on Gov. Kenny Guinn to convene a summit in January to discuss the need for Nevada's state government to develop a plan for electronic business. Guinn then issued an executive order that requires all state agencies to set up Web sites and place all their public forms on the Internet.

Two years before the governor's order, Heller had created his office's Web site, www.sos.state.nv.us. He set up the site to let people locate the names and addresses of all Nevada corporations, their officers and resident agents.

Now the Web site receives 1.5 million hits by computer users every month.

Costs of computer equipment to allow online filing of corporations could approach $1 million and require approval of the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee. But Heller estimates the technology will pay for itself within 14 months because of the increase in incorporations.

He says he's not thinking up technological improvements that will be too expensive or complicated for typical Nevadans to use. He tests his office Web site at home by using his children's Macintosh computer and his personal IBM laptop.

"I want to see what average citizens see," he said. "I also want to make sure the Macintosh sees the same thing as the PC."