AUGUSTA – Legislative committees handling budget and tax matters will have new House chairmen with experience in their fields, as will the panel charged with overseeing transportation issues, when the Legislature convenes on Jan. 4.

House Speaker Michael Saxl announced his selections Friday, naming Rep. Randall Berry of Livermore to lead the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Bonnie Green of Monmouth to lead the Taxation Committee and Rep. Charles Fisher of Brewer to lead the Transportation Committee. All three have prior service on their respective panels.

In all, Saxl filled 10 slots on each of 17 committees, which with one exception include six Democratic House members and four Republican House members.

The State and Local Government Committee will have a 5-4 Democratic majority, with the 10th House member being the chamber’s lone independent, Rep. John Michael of Auburn.

Each committee also will have three members from the Senate. But for one, Senate assignments have not yet been announced.

Evenly split Democrats and Republicans have agreed that independent Sen. Jill Goldthwait of Bar Harbor will serve as Senate chairman of the Appropriations panel.

“I have pledged to act with a sense of fairness and reach out to my Republican colleagues,” Saxl said in a statement. “I have tried to accommodate the recommendations of the minority leadership because I believe this institution works best when each member has an opportunity to fully utilize their skills and abilities on committees.”

Democrats hold an 89-61-1 majority in the House. The Senate is split 17-17-1.

The House will have only four holdover chairmen.

Rep. Edward Povich of Ellsworth returns to lead the Criminal Justice Committee, while Rep. Thomas Kane of Saco will again serve as co-chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Also back as House chairmen are Rep. Matthew Dunlap of Old Town on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee and Rep. John Tuttle of Sanford on the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee.

As on the fiscal and transportation panels, all but three of the new House chairmen of other committees served on those committees in the last legislative session.

Moving up are:

. Rep. Christopher O’Neil of Saco, Banking and Insurance;

. Rep. Shirley Richard of Madison, Education and Cultural Affairs;

. Rep. Charles LaVerdiere of Wilton, Judiciary;

. Rep. Zachary Matthews of Winslow, Labor;

. Rep. Scott Cowger of Hallowell, Natural Resources;

. Rep. Martha Bagley of Machias, State and Local Government;

. Rep. William Savage of Buxton, Utilities and Energy.

Shifting to new committees as chairmen are:

. Rep. Linda Rogers McKee of Wayne, Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry;

. Rep. John Richardson of Brunswick, Business and Economic Development;

. Rep. David Lemoine of Old Orchard Beach, Marine Resources.