Interesting news out of New York state: the gov't agency over background checks is speeding the process for China adopters.

Weird how all these effects ripple outward from a change made so far away.

For those of you new to the process, this also serves to illustrate the way state and federal regulations relate to Chinese requirements for adoptive parents -- how that weird bureaucratic net is woven over your familial ambitions.

Prospective parents have been worried they wouldn't be able to meet a fast-approaching deadline set by China because of a new state law that threatened to delay their cases by as many a 10 weeks.

China has imposed new restrictions that will make it harder for people, such as those older than 50 and single people, to adopt a child. They take effect May 1.

But as of Jan. 11, New Yorkers seeking to adopt, either domestically or internationally, must clear an FBI criminal background check through the state before the process can be completed.

The state Office of Children and Family Services said late yesterday afternoon that the agency would now expedite the processing of the state and FBI checks for Chinese adoptive parents only. The individuals' adoption agencies must submit the FBI fingerprint cards and state fingerprint cards via overnight mail to the state agency. The results would be returned to the adoption agency within one business week.

Adoption agencies have embraced the rule change because it would provide more information about prospective parents, said Alexis Fry of Happy Families International Center in Cold Spring.

In many cases, people from the United States who are adopting a child are checked for crimes only in the state in which they live.

"I think it's wonderful because there's nothing to stop people who misbehave in one state to adopt in another state," Fry said.

It always surprises me when My Perceptive Spouse mentions that yet another home study got thrown a curve ball when the background check turned up something the parents didn't think was worth mentioning. It happens more often than someone as naive as me would normally expect.