Republican leaders in the state Senate yesterday released results of a public opinion poll they conducted with tax dollars in January and announced that it would be their last.

The move came just days after The Inquirer reported that legislative leaders from both parties had spent a total of $466,000 in public funds this year on polling and focus groups, only to keep the results secret.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware) said the caucus decided to end the surveys and release the findings after learning from The Inquirer that Pennsylvania appeared to be the only state that uses public funds for such polls.

“Frankly, the benefits of doing the polling using taxpayer funds did not justify the cost,” said Pileggi. “We can find other ways to get that information. It was my judgment that this was not something that we want to get involved with going forward.”