Recently, there's been a lot of talk about mandates and laws. More specifically, whether a mandate is actually the same as a law.

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There's no reason to discuss the background of this as we all know how it's been spawned. However, it is very important to know the similarities and differences between mandates and laws, especially for those that use social media memes to prove your point.

Basically, both are very similar in nature. The primary difference is the genesis of each.

A mandate, essentially, is often used in times of emergency due to the fact that they are quickly implemented and gives the governing body, of the mandate, a way to address a rapidly changing situation.

A law, essentially, is a set of rules established by a legislative body to address a particular subject.

While not exactly the same, both are legally enforceable. In the case of mandates, most of the time, law enforcement merely enforces it via a fine.

So what are the differences between a mandate and law?

  1. Laws take much longer to enact than mandates. Laws can take weeks while mandates can often be executed within a day.
  2. Mandates need only to be implemented by one person of authority, while laws are the process of bills drafted and voted on by a body of elected officials.
  3. Finally, the length of time either will stay in place is one of the biggest differences. Laws are typically meant to be permanent and mandates are more of a short-term order.
At the end of the day, a mandate and law are very much alike and both are legally enforceable by law enforcement.

Dive even deeper into mandates and laws here.

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