A 20-year Marine veteran, now a state lawmaker, wants to give Arizona companies a break for hiring unemployed veterans. Under Rep. Sonny Borrelli’s proposal, companies would get a one-time, dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $2,000 for hiring unemployed vets, and twice that for disabled vets. Borelli says he doesn’t know how many of the state’s unemployed are veterans but says more are coming.

“With the downsizing of the military and the draw downs of these conflicts overseas, we're going to get 200,000 vets going to be discharged in one year,” Borrelli said. “So how many of them are going to come to Arizona? Maybe 10,000.”

The measure could carry a $20 million price tag. However, there are other proposals that put serious dents in state revenue, including a plan by Gov. Jan Brewer to exempt manufacturers from taxes on the electricity they buy. That could also cost the state $20 million. Companies in the program would have to pay the vets at least prevailing state wage, or more than $16-an-hour.