Ohio's budget bill includes changes in public record laws regarding what police and prosecutors must release and when.

It would block access to investigative police reports, trial prep documents and prosecutor notes until after all appeals are over or, in some cases, indefinitely.

A former New York prosecutor leading the Ohio Innocence Project said the "vague" language is the issue.

Mark Godsey said his team relies on public records to uncover wrongful convictions. Without access, he said, dozens of innocent people would still be behind bars.

"No matter what your political affiliation is, no one wants innocent people in prison," Godsey said, "Everyone appreciates wrongfully convicted people being identified and released. That's just one little piece of what we're going to lose if we seal up these records."

Those supporting the change, including Ohio's Prosecuting Attorney Association Executive Director Louis Tobin, said it's about protecting victims, witnesses and the integrity of open cases; however, Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro said there would likely be significant debate before broad sweeping public record changes are made.

"If a prosecutor is afraid to write things down and to reduce their thoughts to writing because it's going to become public at some point, then they're not going to write things down at all," Tobin said, "and that really puts at risk the quality of a case, the quality of a trial."

Godsey said what he is most concerned about is the lack of clarity in the language regarding police investigative reports and said critics would be more comfortable if the bill included a clearer timeline on when those public records would be accessed.

"It's really dangerous if we lose that transparency," he said. 

He added that as it's written, the language could be interpreted to permanently withhold certain records.

"I want to be clear about this. Factual information that is in the case file, so witness statements, interview notes, lab reports, physical evidence, photographs, expert reports, all of that stuff is still going to be available in public records requests. It's going to be available after the direct appeal," Tobin said, "Right now, it's available immediately after trial, so it's going to be a little bit longer of a delay, but all of that stuff is going to be subject to public records requests." 

The bill passed in the Ohio House and is now headed to the Senate.