FACTBOX: Committee chairs in new Congress

(Reuters) - The Democratic-controlled, 111th Congress convenes on January 6. House of Representatives Democrats have selected their committee chairs; Senate Democrats plan to sign off on theirs later this month.

Here's a look at who will head some of the key committees.

* Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts is set to chair the Foreign Relations Committee, replacing Vice President-elect Joe Biden. Kerry had been interested in becoming secretary of state, but ended up instead as chairman of the committee, one of the most influential in Congress.

* Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, battling life-threatening brain cancer, will remain chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as the Obama administration pushes to expand health care, a top priority.

* Sen. Max Baucus of Montana will continue as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where he will be positioned to play key roles on healthcare reform, taxes and trade policy.

* Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut will continue chairing the Senate Banking Committee. He will work with his House counterpart, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, in efforts to bolster regulation of the troubled financial industry.

* Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan is slated to remain chairman of the Armed Services Committee where he is expected to help incoming President Barack Obama keep a campaign vow to begin to withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq and redeploy many of them to Afghanistan.

* Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii will replace Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia as chairman of the Appropriations Committee. There were concerns about Byrd, 91, largely because of his health. Inouye is 84 and will play a role on war funding, economic stimulus measures and domestic spending priorities.

* Yielding to pleas by Obama to allow bygones be bygones, Democrats have agreed to permit Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to remain chairman of the Homeland Security Committee even though the former Democrat turned independent backed Republican John McCain for president.