1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Equity in Career and Technical Education Act of 2018 . 2. References Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ( 20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.). 3. Purpose Section 2 ( 20 U.S.C. 2301 ) is amended to read as follows: 2. Purpose The purpose of this Act is to support the development of and access to high-quality career and technical education programs of study that successfully prepare students for college and careers, thereby ensuring the global competitiveness of the United States and the economic self-sufficiency of the citizens of the United States. . 4. Definitions Section 3 ( 20 U.S.C. 2302 ) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (15) through (28) and (29) through (34) as paragraphs (16) through (29) and (31) through (36), respectively; (2) by inserting after paragraph (14) the following: (15) Equity gap The term equity gap means the gaps in participation and performance on the core indicators of performance described in section 113(b)(2) for career and technical education programs of study, as described in section 122(c)(1)(A), between student groups based on gender, race, and each of the special populations described in paragraph (31), as compared to all students served by the eligible agency or eligible recipient under this Act. ; (3) by inserting after paragraph (29), as redesignated by paragraph (1), the following: (30) Self-sufficiency The term self-sufficiency means a wage that enables a household to meet the costs of the basic needs in the local area of the household and to build sufficient savings for the future.