According to Conn. Gen. Statutes ch. 50, § 4-79, in any year where there is a governor-elect, the secretary of Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management is required to produce a "tentative budget" for the governor-elect by November 15. Commonly referred to as the "transition budget," the tentative budget is intended to serve as a starting point for the incoming gubernatorial administration as it prepares its budget proposal, which will be presented to the General Assembly at the beginning of February.

Along with including revenue and expenditure estimates, this tentative budget, from the administration of Governor Dannel Malloy to Governor-elect Ned Lamont, details the State of Connecticut's current budget situation and outlines specific areas of the budget where the new administration might look to find budgetary savings.