( CNN ) -- Wisconsin Gov . Scott Walker on Thursday warned 14 absent lawmakers trying to stall his controversial budget bill to return to the state Capitol immediately to vote on the measure , or layoff notices will be sent to 1,500 public employees before the weekend . `` Unfortunately , if we do n't have action by tomorrow we have a legal and moral obligation to start forewarning people , '' Walker said a Thursday night press conference . The layoffs would take effect April 1 , the governor said . Walker 's threat to start laying off workers capped the third week of a high-stakes drama playing out in Wisconsin . Meanwhile , a Dane County judge on Thursday issued an order barring demonstrators from the state Capitol after business hours . During protests , some demonstrators have been sleeping inside the building . The order from Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge John Albert gave the state Department of Administration the authority to forcibly remove anyone who refuses . Most of the protesters remaining at the Capitol Thursday evening appeared to abide by the judge 's order . Some initially balked at the demand they leave the Capitol by the building 's regular 6 p.m. closing time . However , a long line of demonstrators later filed out of the building chanting slogans , carrying bedrolls and banging homemade plastic drums . Concerns about safety risks arising from the nonstop presence of demonstrators at the Capitol were heightened Thursday with the discovery of 41 rounds of hollow-point rifle ammunition found outside the building . Police continued their search for more ammunition , and the person to which it belongs , amid a contentious budget showdown over a measure that would -- among other things -- curb the collective bargaining rights of most state workers . Walker has repeatedly said the collective bargaining provisions of his bill are not negotiable . The governor showed little sign of backing down from that stance Thursday night . Instead , Walker repeatedly said he was `` frustrated '' by the intransigence of the 14 Democratic senators trying to stymie the bill by not showing up to vote . He blamed a core group of `` extreme '' dissenters for standing in the way of compromise . `` What 's probably the most frustrating is I keep getting the sense that many of these responsible senators are seeking a pathway home , however some of the more extreme members of that caucus are putting up a barrier to them , '' Walker said . Walker refused to name any of the senators he believes are blocking negotiations . The governor said he and Republican House Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald have been trying to negotiate with some Democrats . Walker refused to talk about what `` specifics are on the table . '' Weeks of demonstrations in protest of Gov . Scott Walker 's proposal have drawn massive crowds to the state legislature since mid-February , contributing to $ 6.5 million in damages and other costs , state Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said during a hearing Thursday . The hearing examined the question of public access to the building . Meanwhile , the state Senate approved a resolution that would hold absentee Democratic lawmakers `` in contempt of the Senate '' should they not return to the Capitol by late afternoon . The missing lawmakers -- who left February 17 -- had still not returned by Thursday night . The contempt measure allows state law enforcement to detain and return the 14 Senate Democrats to Wisconsin , according to Senate Majority Leader spokesman Andrew Welhouse . Walker said he would prefer that the absent senators return of their own accord . `` I personally am going to ... try and compel these senators to come back in terms of making an offer , '' Walker said . The lawmakers fled to Illinois to prevent a quorum for voting on the state 's budget repair bill , which would limit collective bargaining to wages and require public workers , with the exception of police and firefighters , to cover more of their retirement plans and health care premiums . But whether the contempt measure is constitutional remains unclear . The state Constitution prohibits the arrest of lawmakers while the legislature is in session , except for `` treason , felony and breach of the peace . '' Whether Wisconsin law enforcement would be permitted jurisdiction in Illinois to detain the missing Democrats is also unclear . The stalemate has proven increasingly contentious in recent days as Senate lawmakers adopted a resolution on Wednesday that would fine absentee lawmakers $ 100 every day they remain missing . A similar resolution passed a day later in Indiana , where House Republicans imposed a $ 250-a-day fine against AWOL Democrats who -- like their Wisconsin counterparts -- fled to Illinois in protest of a labor bill . In Wisconsin , Republicans need a single Democrat to cross party lines and rejoin the 33-member legislature to meet the quorum of 20 lawmakers required in a vote on state fiscal matters . Only 17 lawmakers are required for most other issues . Union leaders have agreed to pay more for benefits , but view restricting bargaining rights as an assault on workers ' rights . Gov . Walker took to the airwaves Wednesday in support of his belt-tightening measure . `` Every day we fail to act on this just adds more and more to the cost , '' he told reporters , defending the curtailing of collective bargaining as an integral part of fiscal reform . Wisconsin is confronted with a looming $ 137 million shortfall at the end of the fiscal year , June 30 . The state faces a $ 3.6 billion budget gap by 2013 . CNN 's Katherine Wojtecki contributed to this report .
NEW : Wisconsin governor threatens to lay off 1,500 workers if senators do n't return home . NEW : Judge rules that demonstrators can no longer sleep inside Capitol building . At least 41 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition have been found outside the Capitol . The state Senate approves a resolution allowing police to detain missing Democrats .