COLUMBIA -- The House and Senate gave initial approval to a compromise plan for property tax relief Tuesday evening, but a joint proposal to cap property reassessment fell two votes short in the Senate.

Sen. Larry Martin, a Pickens Republican and co-chairman of the House and Senate negotiating panel on reassessment, said the legislation should pass today.

"We feel like we've got the votes to get it tomorrow," he said.

The larger property tax relief package gained initial Senate approval by a vote of 41-0.

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The House initially failed to give the compromise the necessary two-thirds vote but did so later Tuesday evening.

That proposal would remove school operating taxes for homeowners, reduce the sales tax on groceries and offer a two-day sales tax holiday after Thanksgiving.

The plan also would guarantee that each county in the state get at least $2.5 million in tax relief and has the option to raise sales taxes a penny more per dollar if local governments want to reduce more taxes. The overall plan increases the sales tax statewide by a penny to six cents per dollar.

Property tax legislation has been the focus of many lawmakers this year, and House members had vowed at one point to adjourn without a budget if the Legislature failed to pass substantive property tax relief.

Because both compromises are different from either the House or Senate versions of the original legislation, the plans require a two-thirds vote in each body.

The property reassessment vote was expected to be less troublesome but still ran into complaints in the Senate.

Sen. John Land, leader of Senate Democrats, said the property reassessment legislation would assist the wealthy and those in high-growth areas at the expense of poorer homeowners.

"All you're doing is capping assessment on the property that is going up in value fastest," he said.

The legislation would cap reassessment at 15 percent over five years, beginning next year, provided voters approve the measure in November. The cap wouldn't apply for property transferred or sold or if the owner takes out a building permit.

The Senate's original plan would have required each county to vote on the 15 percent cap before enacting it. The compromise plan requires only a statewide vote.

The Senate voted 29-12 on the plan, short two votes of the necessary two-thirds requirement.

Martin said supporters were missing some of their members when the plan came up for a vote. He tried again Tuesday evening but withdrew the attempt after he said another senator threatened a filibuster. He said the senator told him that he wouldn't take the floor against the bill today.