Although the process differs somewhat from division to division, the important point is that the membership proposes, considers and votes on all legislation. Although the staff may assist in drafting the language for proposed legislation, it has no other role in the creation, deliberation or voting on any legislation. That is the strict province of the membership. As you can see, this is a pretty broad scope of responsibilities. The staff includes lawyers, accountants, writers, programmers, marketers and various other training disciplines.
Enforcement is really a two-phase process.
The enforcement staff is charged with investigating allegations and determining if there is enough evidence to forward its findings to the Committee on Infractions. The Committee on Infractions is responsible for adjudicating the cases and determining the penalty. There are infractions committees for each division. The committees are made up from the respective divisions, including conference commissioners, faculty representatives from member institutions, and one representative of the general public. No member of the office staff serves on any of the committees.