<PAGE>

                                                                    Exhibit 10.8
                        NATIONAL INFORMATION CONSORTIUM, INC.

                               KEY EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT
                                        FOR
                                   JOSEPH NEMELKA

     THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is entered into as of the 24 day of
July, 1998, by and between Joseph Nemelka (Executive") and NATIONAL INFORMATION
CONSORTIUM, INC. a Delaware corporation (The "Company").

     WHEREAS, the Company desires to employ Executive to provide personal
services to the Company and to the Company's subsidiaries, and desires to
provide Executive with certain compensation and benefits in return for his
services; and

     WHEREAS, Executive desires to be employed by the Company and provide
personal services to the Company in return for certain compensation and
benefits;

     NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:

     1.   EMPLOYMENT BY THE COMPANY.

          1.1  Subject to terms set forth herein, the Company or a subsidiary of
the Company agrees to employ Executive in the position of Subsidiary President
and Executive hereby accepts such employment effective as of the date first
written above. During the term of his employment with the Company, Executive
will devote his best efforts and substantially all of his business time and
attention (except for vacation periods and reasonable periods of illness or
other incapacities permitted by the Company's general employment policies) to
the business of the Company.

          1.2  Executive will serve in an executive capacity and shall perform
such duties as are customarily associated with his then current title,
consistent with the Bylaws of the Company and as required by the Company's Board
of Directors (the "Board").

          1.3  The employment relationship between the parties shall also be
governed by the general employment policies and practices of the Company,
including those relating to protection of confidential information and
assignment of inventions, except that when the terms of this Agreement differ
from or are in conflict with the Company's general employment policies or
practices, this Agreement shall control.

     2.   COMPENSATION.

          2.1  SALARY. Executive shall receive for services to be rendered
hereunder an annualized base salary of $115,000, payable in equal installments
(prorated for portions of a pay period) on the Company's regular pay days and
the Company will withhold from such compensation all applicable federal and
state income, social security and disability and other taxes as required by
applicable laws.

<PAGE>

          2.2  STANDARD COMPANY BENEFITS. Executive shall be entitled to all
rights and benefits for which he is eligible under the terms and conditions of
the standard Company benefits and compensation practices which may be in effect
from time to time and provided by the Company to its employees generally.

     3.   PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OBLIGATIONS.

          3.1  AGREEMENT. Executive agrees to execute and abide by the
Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement attached hereto as EXHIBIT A
(the "Proprietary Information Agreement").

     4.   OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES.

          4.1  Except with the prior written consent of the Company's Board of
Directors, Executive will not during the term of this Agreement undertake or
engage in any other employment, occupation or business enterprise, other than
ones in which Executive is a passive investor. Executive may engage in civic and
not-for-profit activities so long as such activities do not materially interfere
with the performance of his duties hereunder.

          4.2  Except as permitted by Section 4.3, Executive agrees not to
acquire, assume or participate in, directly or indirectly, any position,
investment or interest known by him to be adverse or antagonistic to the
Company, its business or prospects, financial or otherwise.

          4.3  During the term of his employment by the Company, except on
behalf of the Company, Executive will not directly or indirectly, whether as an
officer, director, stockholder, partner, proprietor, associate, representative,
consultant, or in any capacity whatsoever engage in, become financially
interested in, be employed by or have any business connection with any other
person, corporation, firm, partnership or other entity whatsoever which were
known by him to compete directly with the Company, throughout the world, in any
line of business engaged in (or planned to be engaged in) by the Company;
provided, however, that anything above to the contrary notwithstanding, he may
own, as a passive investor, shares of a publicly-held corporation that is
competitive with the Company, if such shares are actively traded on an
established national securities market, so long as the number of shares of such
corporation's capital stock that are owned beneficially (directly or indirectly)
by Executive shall not in the aggregate constitute more than 5% of the
outstanding voting stock of such corporation.

     5.   TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.

          5.1  TERMINATION WITHOUT CAUSE.

               (a)  The Company shall have the right to terminate Executive's
employment with the Company at any time without cause.

               (b)  In the event Executive's employment is terminated without
cause before July 1, 2001, the Company shall pay Executive one year's base
compensation in equal monthly payments on the first day of the month for each of
the twelve months


                                          2
<PAGE>

following such termination; PROVIDED HOWEVER that if Executive is terminated
without cause during the final twelve months of Executive's employment
Agreement, Executive shall only be entitled to the equivalent of Executive's
base compensation for the remaining number of months until the expiration of
that Employment Agreement.

               (c)  In the event Executive's employment is terminated without
cause on or after July 1, 2001, Executive will not be entitled to severance pay,
pay in lieu of notice or any other such compensation, except as provided in the
Company's Severance Benefit Plan, if any, in effect on the termination date.

          5.2  TERMINATION FOR CAUSE.

               (a)  The Company shall have the right to terminate Executive's
employment with the Company at any time for cause. Written notification of
termination and specific cause of termination shall be provided to Executive at
the time of termination.

               (b)  "Cause" for termination shall mean: (i) indictment or
conviction of any felony or of any crime involving dishonesty; (ii) willful
participation in any fraud against the Company; (iii) breach of Executive's
duties to the Company, including persistent unsatisfactory performance of job
duties; (iv) intentional damage to any property of the Company; or (v) conduct
by Executive which in the good faith and reasonable determination of the Board
demonstrates gross unfitness to serve. With respect to clause (ii) above,
Executive shall be given written notice of such unsatisfactory performance and
30 days from the date of such notice to cure the causes set forth therein.

               (c)  In the event Executive's employment is terminated at any
time with cause, Executive will not be entitled to severance pay, pay in lieu of
notice or any other such compensation; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that Executive shall
receive all compensation earned prior to and including the date of termination.

          5.3  VOLUNTARY OR MUTUAL TERMINATION.

               (a)  Executive may voluntarily terminate his employment with the
Company in writing at any time, after which no further compensation will be paid
to Executive.

               (b)  In the event Executive voluntarily terminates his
employment, he will not be entitled to severance pay, pay in lieu of notice or
any other such compmsation; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that Executive shall receive all
compensation earned prior to and including the date of termination.

     6.   NON-INTERFERENCE; NON-COMPETITION.

          (a)  While employed by the Company, and for three (3) years
immediately following the Termination Date, Executive agrees not to interfere
with the business of the Company by:


                                          3
<PAGE>

               (i)  soliciting, attempting to solicit, inducing, or otherwise
causing any employee of the Company to terminate his or her employment in order
to become an employee, consultant or independent contractor to or for any
competitor of the Company; or

               (ii) directly or indirectly soliciting the business of any
customer of the Company which at the time of termination or one year immediately
prior thereto was listed on the Company's customer list.

          (b)  Executive agrees to execute and abide by the Non-Competition
Agreement attached hereto as EXHIBIT B.

     7.   GENERAL PROVISIONS.

          7.1  NOTICES. Any notices provided hereunder must be in writing and
shall be deemed effective upon the earlier of personal delivery (including
personal delivery by telex) or the third day after mailing by first class mail,
to the Company at its primary office location and to Executive at his address as
listed on the Company payroll.

          7.2  SEVERABILITY. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement
will be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable
law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable in any respect under any applicable law or rule in any
jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability will not affect
any other provision or any other jurisdiction, but this Agreement will be
reformed, construed and enforced in such jurisdiction as if such invalid,
illegal or unenforceable provisions had never been contained herein.

          7.3  WAIVER. If either party should waive any breach of any provisions
of this Agreement, he or it shall not thereby be deemed to have waived any
preceding or succeeding breach of the same or any other provision of this
Agreement.

          7.4  COMPLETE AGREEMENT. This Agreement and its Exhibits, constitute
the entire agreement between Executive and the Company and it is the complete,
final, and exclusive embodiment of their agreement with regard to this subject
matter. It is entered into without reliance on any promise or representation
other than those expressly contained herein, and it cannot be modified or
amended except in a writing signed by Executive and an officer of the Company.

          7.5  COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in separate
counterparts, any one of which need not contain signatures of more than one
party, but all of which taken together will constitute one and the same
Agreement.

          7.6  HEADINGS. The headings of the sections hereof are inserted for
convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part hereof nor to
affect the meaning thereof.

          7.7  SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. This Agreement is intended to bind and
inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by Executive and the Company, and
their

                                         4
<PAGE>

respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors and administrators, except that
Executive may not assign any of his duties hereunder and he may not assign any
of his rights hereunder without the written consent of the Company, which shall
not be withheld unreasonably.

          7.8  ATTORNEY FEES. If either party hereto brings any action to
enforce his or its rights hereunder, the prevailing party in any such action
shall be entitled to recover his or its reasonable attorneys' fees and costs
incurred in connection with such action.

          7.9  CHOICE OF LAW. All questions concerning the construction,
validity and interpretation of this Agreement will be governed by the law of
the State of Kansas.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Key Employee Agreement
on the day and year first above written.

                                   NATIONAL INFORMATION
                                   CONSORTIUM, INC.:

                                   By: /s/ Jeff Fraser
                                      -----------------------------------

                                   Name:  Jeff Fraser
                                        ---------------------------------

                                   Title:  President
                                         --------------------------------

                                   EXECUTIVE:

                                   /s/ Joseph Nemelica
                                   --------------------------------------

                                   Name:  Joseph Nemlica
                                        ---------------------------------


                                          5