PENGUATAN KAPASITAS LEGISLASI DPRD MELALUI EKSISTENSI TENAGA AHLI DALAM KERANGKA OTONOMI DAERAH

Abstrak

Regional autonomy requires the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) to exercise its legislative function effectively, particularly in formulating regional regulations that are legally coherent, responsive to local needs, and consistent with higher legislation. In this context, the existence of expert staff is important because DPRD members do not necessarily possess sufficient technical and legal expertise to support the entire legislative process. This study aims to analyze the normative position and institutional role of expert staff in supporting the legislative function of DPRD and to identify the normative-institutional obstacles that limit their effectiveness. This research employs normative juridical methods using statutory and conceptual approaches. The legal materials consist of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials, which are analyzed qualitatively through institutional analysis. The findings indicate four principal obstacles: limited understanding of the legislative function, inadequate human-resource capacity, ineffective communication between DPRD members and expert staff, and weaknesses in recruitment and selection mechanisms. The novelty of this study lies in constructing these obstacles as institutional problems rather than merely individual deficiencies and in proposing an institutional strengthening model based on competency standards, transparent recruitment, functional coordination, and continuous capacity development. Strengthening expert staff is therefore necessary not merely as administrative support but as an institutional mechanism for improving the quality, consistency, and accountability of DPRD legislative functions. Keywords: DPRD; Expert Staff; Legislative Function; Regional Autonomy; Institutional Capacity