Requires public utilities to provide customers notice of request for increase in rates; revises requirements related to hearings on proposed rate increases.

S 597 requires electric, gas, water, and sewer utilities in New Jersey to notify customers about upcoming hearings on proposed rate increases. Utilities must include clear notice in customer bills or send it via mail/electronic means, and also publish the hearing details in local newspapers. The bill also revises where hearings must be held, mandating they occur in the largest-population municipality affected (or each affected county's largest municipality if multiple counties are involved). These changes aim to improve transparency for rate increase decisions before they take effect.