Chilton County would remain entirely within Alabama’s 6th Congressional District under a plan recommended Thursday by the Legislature’s reapportionment committee.

Chilton County’s State Sen. Cam Ward represented the 6th District on the committee, which gave final approval to a new map Thursday.

Under the recommendation, all of Chilton, Shelby and Bibb counties would remain in the 6th District, along with the northern half of Tuscaloosa County and parts of Jefferson County.

The 6th District would also gain all of Coosa County (it now has about half) and lose nearly all of St. Clair County.

Ward said he was pleased with the plan approved Thursday.

“I’m very happy with this,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, I was very thrilled.”

Ward said he had some concern that Chilton County — and even more likely, Bibb County — could have been possibly spilt into multiple districts.

“My goal was to keep Chilton County in one district,” Ward said. “Chilton County has a good Congressman in Spencer Bachus.”

The recommendation now goes to the Alabama Legislature for approval, where changes could be made. The Justice Department must also sign off on the new map before the next election.

The reapportionment committee was made up of one Alabama senator and House member from each of the state’s seven districts as well as several at-large members.

The committee recommended new Congressional districts as well as Alabama’s eight board of education districts.

State Senate and House districts will be redrawn early next year, Ward said.